Some embodiments provide novel methods for providing different types of services for a logical network associated with an edge forwarding element acting between the logical network and an external network. The edge forwarding element receives data messages for forwarding and performs a service classification operation to select a set of services of a particular type for the data message. The particular type of service is one of multiple different types of services that use different transport mechanisms to forward the data to a set of service nodes (e.g., service virtual machines, or service appliances, etc.) that provide the service. The edge forwarding element then receives the data message after the selected set of services has been performed and performs a forwarding operation to forward the data message. In some embodiments, the method is also performed by edge forwarding elements that are at the edges of logical network segments within the logical network.

Some embodiments facilitate the provision of a service reachable at a virtual internet protocol (VIP) address. The VIP address is used by clients to access a set of service nodes in the logical network. Facilitating the provision of the service, in some embodiments, includes returning a serviced data message to a load balancer that selected a service node to provide the service for the load balancer to track the state of the connection using the service logical forwarding element. To use the service logical forwarding element, some embodiments configure an egress datapath of the service nodes to intercept the serviced data message before being forwarded to a logical forwarding element in the datapath from the client to the service node, and determine if the serviced data message requires routing by the routing service provided as a service by the edge forwarding element.

For traffic exiting a logical network through a particular VTI, some embodiments perform a service classification operation for different data messages to identify different VTIs that connect the edge forwarding element to a service node to provide services required by the data messages. Each data message, in some embodiments, is then forwarded to the identified VTI to receive the required service. The identified VTI does not perform a service classification operation. The service node then returns the serviced data message to the edge forwarding element. In some embodiments, the identified VTI is not configured to perform the service classification operation and is instead configured to mark all traffic directed to the edge forwarding element as having been serviced. The marked serviced data message is received at the edge forwarding element and forwarded to a destination of the data message through the particular VTI.

Some embodiments provide novel methods for providing a set of services for a logical network associated with an edge forwarding element acting between a logical network and an external network. In some embodiments, the services are provided using a logical service forwarding plane that connects the edge forwarding element to a set of service nodes that each provide a service in the set of services. The service classification operation of some embodiments identifies a chain of multiple service operations that has to be performed on the data message. In some embodiments, identifying the chain of service operations includes selecting a service path to provide the multiple services. After selecting the service path, the data message is sent along the selected service path to have the services provided. The data message is returned to the edge forwarding element by a last service node in the service path that performs the last service operation and the edge forwarding element performs next hop forwarding on the data message.

A communications method includes receiving, by a first provider edge (PE) device, a data packet from a second PE device and avoiding, by the first PE device, sending the data packet to the second PE device in response to determining that a source address of the data packet is the same as an address of the second PE device in an entry. The source address of the data packet is the same as the address of the second PE in the entry stored in the first PE device. A customer edge (CE) device is multi-homed to the first PE device and the second PE device in an all-active mode. The CE device is connected to the first PE device through a first connection and the second PE device through a second connection. The first connection and the second connection belonging to a same Ethernet segment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to assisting forwarding of multicast traffic over Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) from a multicast source to a host multi-homed to multiple provider edge (PE) devices. Embodiments are based on the inclusion of an Ethernet Segment Identification (ESI) to EVPN type-6 routes advertised by PE devices which received a multicast Join message. Other PE devices receiving such routes are able to determine whether they belong to the ES identified by the ESI and to determine whether they are designated forwarders (DFs) for the host. Furthermore, PE devices which are the DFs are configured to re-originate the EVPN type-6 routes, i.e. re-send the advertisements, indicating themselves as DFs. This ensures that a remote PE device associated with the multicast source will also send multicast traffic to such DF PE devices, which, in turn, would allow the multicast traffic to successfully reach the host.

Some embodiments provide novel methods for providing a set of services for a logical network associated with an edge forwarding element acting between a logical network and an external network. In some embodiments, the services are provided using a logical service forwarding plane that connects the edge forwarding element to a set of service nodes that each provide a service in the set of services. The service classification operation of some embodiments identifies a chain of multiple service operations that has to be performed on the data message. In some embodiments, identifying the chain of service operations includes selecting a service path to provide the multiple services. After selecting the service path, the data message is sent along the selected service path to have the services provided. The data message is returned to the edge forwarding element by a last service node in the service path that performs the last service operation and the edge forwarding element performs next hop forwarding on the data message.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to assisting forwarding of multicast traffic over Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) from a multicast source to a host multi-homed to multiple provider edge (PE) devices. Embodiments are based on the inclusion of an Ethernet Segment Identification (ESI) to EVPN type-6 routes advertised by PE devices which received a multicast Join message. Other PE devices receiving such routes are able to determine whether they belong to the ES identified by the ESI and to determine whether they are designated forwarders (DFs) for the host. Furthermore, PE devices which are the DFs are configured to re-originate the EVPN type-6 routes, i.e. re-send the advertisements, indicating themselves as DFs. This ensures that a remote PE device associated with the multicast source will also send multicast traffic to such DF PE devices, which, in turn, would allow the multicast traffic to successfully reach the host.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided herein for time-stamping a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus message. Control circuitry (e.g., of a network bridge) may receive a CAN message, and may, in response to receiving the CAN message, generate a time stamp. The control circuitry may add an entry to a lookup table stored in memory, wherein the entry correlates a CAN message Identifier (ID) corresponding to the CAN message with the time stamp. The control circuitry may encapsulate the CAN message and the time stamp, and may transmit the CAN message according to the time stamp.

A method of forming a virtual network includes forming an arrangement of virtual fibers from physical fiber optic cables that interconnect virtual entry devices, virtual forwarding devices, and virtual exit devices together. The virtual entry devices combine data and frames to allow a number of sources with data and frame rates that are less than a predetermined frame rate of a physical port to be output from the physical port.