A method for distributed multi-choice voting/ranking in a network with a plurality of nodes associated to a set of choices is disclosed. The method includes setting a plurality of value sets for a plurality of nodes, setting a plurality of collections of memory sets for the plurality of nodes, and updating the plurality of value sets. In addition, the method includes updating the plurality of collections of memory sets, calculating a majority vote for the set of choices, and calculating a rank set for the set of choices.

Methods and apparatus for processing data packets in a computer network are described. One general method includes receiving a data packet; examining the data packet to classify the data packet including classifying the data packet as a L2 or L3 packet and including determining at least one zone associated with the packet; processing the packet in accordance with one or more policies associated with the zone; determining forwarding information associated with the data packet; and if one or more policies permit, forwarding the data packet toward an intended destination using the forwarding information.

The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus and a system for a group session service in a software defined network, and relates to the field of the wireless communication and particularly to a group session service. By separating service control signaling from service data, the demands for a Push to talk over cellular (PoC) server is low and little change is made on a service flow, no extra demands for a user is needed, the control logic of the group call service is simplified, the load of the PoC server is reduced, and the delay of a multiple-party session is remarkably reduced, thereby effectively improving the QoE of the user.

Configuration of firewall functionality and/or determining positioning for routers operating within a multi-router network is contemplated. The firewall functionality configured for one or more of the routers may be based router positioning within the multi-router network. The firewall functionality may be automatically selected according to the router positioning in order to facilitate dynamic and/or adaptive router configuring.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for OAM in overlay networks. In response to receiving a packet associated with an OAM operation from a device in an overlay network, the system generates an OAM packet. The system can be coupled with the overlay network and can include a tunnel endpoint interface associated with an underlay address and a virtual interface associated with an overlay address. The overlay address can be an anycast address assigned to the system and another device in the overlay network. Next, the system determines that a destination address associated with the packet is not reachable through the virtual interface, the destination address corresponding to a destination node in the overlay network. The system also determines that the destination address is reachable through the tunnel endpoint interface. The system then provides the underlay address associated with the tunnel endpoint interface as a source address in the OAM packet.

Various methods are provided for facilitating the assignment of a DNS name to load balancers in a dynamically partitioned cluster environment. One example method may comprise receiving cluster configuration information from a cluster configuration observer, the cluster configuration information comprising information indicative of each of a plurality of instances of running application and one or more servers and associated ports to which at least one of the plurality of instances is bound, receiving a request from a first level load balancer requiring a call to the first application, determining, based on the cluster configuration information, to which port the instance of the first application is bound, and transmitting the request to the port to which the instance of the first application is bound.

In one embodiment, a particular service chain data packet is received by a particular service node, with the service chain data packet including a header identifying service chain information. The particular service node applies a service to the particular service chain data packet. The particular service node adds service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, with the service-layer operations data related to the current service function or the particular service node. Subsequently, the particular service node sends the particular service chain data packet with the service-layer operations data from the particular service node. In one embodiment, networking operations data is also added to the particular service chain data packet. In one embodiment, an egress service node removes the service-layer (and possibly networking) operations data and forwards to another system, possibly after processing this operations data.

A method for forwarding a packet by a first Network Virtualization Edge (NVE) in Network Virtualization Overlays, Layer 3 (NVO3) and an NVE is provided. The method comprises, in response to receiving an IP packet from a first Virtual Access Point (VAP) of the first NVE, looking up forwarding information to obtain an IP address of a second NVE; in response to lookup fails, or the IP address of the second NVE being different from an IP address of the or the second VAP being different from the first VAP, dropping the IP packet; and in response to the IP address of the second NVE being the same as an IP address of the first NVE and the second VAP being the same as the first VAP, forwarding the IP packet.

A fabric manager includes: a processing unit having a service chain creation module configured to create a service chain by connecting some of a plurality of nodes via virtual links; wherein the some of the plurality of nodes represent respective network components of an auxiliary network configured to obtain packets from a traffic production network; and wherein the service chain is configured to control an order of the network components represented by the some of the plurality of nodes packets are to traverse.

For logical multicasting in overlay networks, at a data processing system, an original unicast packet is received from a first component in a first computing node in an overlay network. To cause multicasting in the overlay network the received original unicast packet was unicast by the first computing node only to the data processing system, and a multicast data structure for the overlay network is maintained only by the data processing system, the multicast data structure containing information of each receiver that is configured to receive unicast packets during logical multicasting in the overlay network. From a set of subscriber receivers in the multicast data structure, a subset of the subscriber receivers is selected. A copy of the original unicast packet is unicast to each subscriber receiver in the subset.