Communication apparatus includes multiple interfaces configured for connection to a packet data network. A memory, coupled to the interfaces, is configured as a shared buffer to contain packets in multiple sets of queues for transmission to the network. Each set of queues receives in the shared buffer a respective allocation having an allocation size that varies over time in response to an amount of space in the shared buffer that is unused at any given time. A controller is configured to apply congestion control to a respective fraction of the packets that are queued for transmission from each set of queues in the shared buffer to the network, such that the respective fraction is set for each set of queues at any given time in response to a relation between a length of the queues in the set and the allocation size of the respective allocation at the given time.

A system for negotiating Ethernet link settings between interconnected nodes in a network having an Ethernet protocol stack that includes a PCS sub-layer with an auto-negotiation function. The system comprises connecting an intermediate device coupled between two network nodes via optical or copper interfaces, with the link settings between each node and the connected intermediate device being the same, thereby bypassing the auto-negotiation of the PCS sub-layer in the intermediate device. The intermediate device may transparently send negotiation messages from each node to the other during the link negotiation phase without interacting with those messages. Instead of the intermediate device, a single form pluggable (SFP) device may be connected between the two network nodes via optical or copper interfaces on the network side and via an SFP slot on the device side.

A switch for transmitting digital data in the form of frames, each frame having an identification field and being of a first type conforming to an ARINC 664 P7 type protocol or of a second type conforming to an IEEE 802 type protocol. The switch comprising a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, and a configuration table comprising for each identification value of the transmission parameters of the frames having this identification value.

The switch is able to switch each frame between an input port and at least one output port exclusively on the basis of the transmission parameters corresponding to the identification value of this frame in the configuration table, independently of the type of this frame.

A method and network device for network traffic flooding. Specifically, the method and network device disclosed herein implement the mitigation of the lack of data-link layer (or L2) addressing resolutions, usually learned by or programmed manually into the network device, through the flooding of affected network traffic across identified network broadcast domains. Flooding of the network traffic in the aforementioned manner may ensure that at least the destination(s) of the network traffic receives the network traffic at least in scenarios where which it is unknown out of which particular physical network interface(s) should the network traffic be transmitted to reach the destination(s).

Methods and apparatus for efficient data transfer within a user space network stack. Unlike prior art monolithic networking stacks, the exemplary networking stack architecture described hereinafter includes various components that span multiple domains (both in-kernel, and non-kernel). For example, unlike traditional “socket” based communication, disclosed embodiments can transfer data directly between the kernel and user space domains. Direct transfer reduces the per-byte and per-packet costs relative to socket based communication. A user space networking stack is disclosed that enables extensible, cross-platform-capable, user space control of the networking protocol stack functionality. The user space networking stack facilitates tighter integration between the protocol layers (including TLS) and the application or daemon. Exemplary systems can support multiple networking protocol stack instances (including an in-kernel traditional network stack).

A network switching environment includes a network switch coupled to a port extension module by one or more network cables, and a management resource coupled to the switch and the port extension module. The configurations of the network switch and the port extension module may be dynamically controlled by a management resource to adjust to changes in the maximum bandwidth provided by the one or more network cables. The management resource may implement the network switch and port extension module configurations according to a predetermined target configuration and the connection configuration of the network switch and the port extension module.

A system includes a first aggregated networking device that is included with the second aggregated networking device in a link aggregation domain. The first aggregated networking device provides, to a networking device via a link aggregation group (LAG), a first control message that defines itself as a root bridge and the first link aggregation domain as a designated bridge. The second aggregated networking device detects that the first aggregated networking device is unavailable. The second aggregated networking devices then provides, to the networking device via the LAG, a second control message that defines itself as the root bridge, and the first link aggregation domain as the designated bridge. Network traffic is transmitted in response to the networking device accepting the second aggregated networking device as a new root bridge based on the first link aggregation domain being defined as the designated bridge in both the first and second control messages.

Some embodiments provide a network forwarding element with a data-plane forwarding circuit that has a parameter collecting circuit to store and distribute parameter values computed by several machines in a network. In some embodiments, the machines perform distributed computing operations, and the parameter values that compute are parameter values associated with the distributed computing operations. The parameter collecting circuit of the data-plane forwarding circuit (data plane) in some embodiments (1) stores a set of parameter values computed and sent by a first set of machines, and (2) distributes the collected parameter values to a second set of machines once it has collected the set of parameter values from all the machines in the first set. The first and second sets of machines are the same set of machines in some embodiments, while they are different sets of machines (e.g., one set has at least one machine that is not in the other set) in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the parameter collecting circuit performs computations on the parameter values that it collects and distributes the result of the computations once it has processed all the parameter values distributed by the first set of machines. The computations are aggregating operations (e.g., adding, averaging, etc.) that combine corresponding subset of parameter values distributed by the first set of machines.

Described embodiments provide systems and methods for upgrading user space networking stacks without disruptions to network traffic. A first packet engine can read connection information of existing connections of a second packet engine written to a shared memory region by the second packet engine. The first packet engine can establish one or more virtual connections according to the connection information of existing connections of the second packet engine. Each of the first packet engine and the second packet engine can receive mirrored traffic data. The first packet engine can receive a first packet and determine that the first packet is associated with a virtual connection corresponding to an existing connection of the second packet engine. The first packet engine can drop the first packet responsive to the determination that the first packet is associated with the virtual connection.

Embodiments included herein may be configured for managing one or more maximum transmission units (MTUs) for clustered and federated storage systems. Embodiments may include providing one or more heterogeneous storage clusters. A logical MTU may be configured on one or more leaf network interfaces of one or more networks. A physical network MTU may be configured on one or more intermediate network objects of the one or more networks. One or more physical network fabrics of the one or more networks may be managed. The physical network MTU may be managed via one of the one or more MTU domains. The physical network MTU may be reconfigured in response to determining the physical network MTU is outside of a pre-determined range.