One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a storage device, a rule management module, an inner packet module, and a packet processor. During operation, the rule management module obtains a rule associated with a data flow within tunnel encapsulation of a tunnel. This rule indicates how the flow is to be processed at the switch. The rule management module then applies an initial rule to a respective line card of the switch. The initial rule is derived from a virtual network identifier, which is associated with the tunnel, of the obtained rule. The inner packet module determines that a first inner packet, which is encapsulated with a first encapsulation header, belongs to the flow without decapsulating the first encapsulation header. The rule management module applies the obtained rule to a line card associated with an ingress port of the encapsulated first inner packet.

A control apparatus configured to transmit first settings information including first settings contents with respect to an optical transmission device. The control apparatus includes a processor and a storage. The processor is configured to receive a setting error with respect to the first settings information from the optical transmission device, store a setting condition of the optical transmission device that is acquired from the setting error in the storage, determine second settings contents relating to transmission of an optical signal with respect to the optical transmission device based on the stored setting condition, and transmit second settings information including the second settings contents to the optical transmission device.

Various systems and methods for using strict path forwarding. For example, one method involves receiving an advertisement at a node. The advertisement includes a segment identifier (SID). In response to receiving the advertisement, the node determines whether the SID is a strict SID or not. If the SID is a strict SID, the node generates information, such as forwarding information, that indicates how to forward packets along a strict shortest path corresponding to the strict SID.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a router determines whether or not to establish a stateful routing session based on the suitability of one or more candidate return path interfaces. This determination is typically made at the time a first packet for a new session arrives at the router on a given ingress interface. In some cases, the router may be configured to require that the ingress interface be used for the return path of the session, in which case the router may evaluate whether the ingress interface is suitable for the return path and may drop the session if the ingress interface is deemed by the router to be unsuitable for the return path. In other cases, the router may be configured to not require that the ingress interface be used for the return path, in which case the router may evaluate whether at least one interface is suitable for the return path and drop the session if no interface is deemed by the router to be suitable for the return path.

Described herein are various embodiments of a network element comprising a network port to receive a unit of network data and a data plane coupled to the network port. In one embodiment the data plane includes a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) module to compare a first set of bits in the unit of network data with a second set of bits in a key associated with a TCAM rule. The second set of bits includes a first subset of bits and a second subset of bits and the TCAM module includes first logic to compare one or more bits in the first set of bits against the second set of bits, and second logic to select an action or a result using bits from either the second subset of bits, from the unit of network data, or from meta data associated with the unit of network data. Other embodiments are also described.

A system and method for determining network performance information. The system includes an interface configured to communicate between customer premise equipment (CPE) and a communications device. The system also includes one or more processing units in communication with the interface. The one or more processing units are configured to generate packets communicated by the interface between the CPE and the communications device to determine the network performance information.

Methods and apparatuses are provided that facilitate routing of messages of a positioning protocol, such as long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol annex (LPPa). A positioning server can determine a network area identifier of one or more messages based at least in part on an identifier of a base station associated with the one or more messages. Based at least in part on the network area identifier, the positioning server can provide the one or more messages to an intermediate network node corresponding to the one or more base stations, such as a mobility management entity (MME). MME can similarly provide the one or more messages to an optional gateway between it and the one or more base stations based at least in part on receiving the network area identifier in the one or more messages. In addition, a base station can update positioning information with the positioning server.

A method for connecting, by a central control unit (CCU), a booting switch to a network. The network includes switches controlled by the CCU using control data packets that are transmitted via communications paths in the network. User packets are transmitted through the network using the same communications paths. A switch uses forwarding rules stored in a pipeline to forward packets in the network. A local port in each switch provides access to the pipeline. The paths in the network for the control data packets are established by storing forwarding rules configured by the CCU in the pipelines of the switches. At least one switch contains a connecting port via which the booting switch is connected to the network. The forwarding rules in the booting switch are stored by the CCU using a temporary path, which contains the existing path and a connecting path.

An OFS in-band communication method and an OFS are disclosed. The method includes: receiving an LLDP data packet; creating a controller list entry or updating a controller list entry when it is determined, by using a role sub-field, that a sender type of the received LLDP data packet is OFC; acquiring a first-time TCP handshake packet used for establishing a TCP connection, and checking, according to a destination MAC and a destination IP that are carried in the TCP handshake packet, whether a corresponding controller list entry exists in a controller list; and if yes, updating a flow entry according to the MAC, the IP, and the in_port in the corresponding controller list entry in the controller list, so that an OFS can forward, by using a flow table, a packet to be sent to an OFC to the OFC.

A packet forwarding system includes: a plurality of first relay apparatuses connected to one another; a plurality of second relay apparatuses that include a plurality of ports and that are connected to the plurality of first relay apparatuses; and a control apparatus that configures a plurality of trunks, each serving as a virtual logical link, by using a plurality of physical links between the first relay apparatuses and the second relay apparatuses. The control apparatus determines a designated port for each of the plurality of trunks from among constituent ports of the each trunk. When one of the plurality of first relay apparatuses receives a predetermined control target packet from one of the plurality of second relay apparatuses, the control apparatus causes the plurality of first relay apparatuses to transmit the predetermined control target packet via a first relay apparatus including a designated port for one of the plurality of trunks, to which a port of the one first relay apparatus receiving the predetermined control target packet belongs.