A network device includes a query service instance (QSI), a database, and an observer. The QSI is programmed to generate an output based on a, at least in part, a first table of a database; send the output to the database for storage; and send a query completion indicator to the database. The database is programmed to store the output in a second table of the database. The observer is programmed to obtain the query completion indicator from the database and notify an entity that the QSI is complete in response to obtaining the query completion indicator.

An apparatus includes a destination edge device configured to receive a first validation packet according to a switch fabric validation protocol. The destination edge device is configured to validate multiple data paths through a distributed switch fabric from a source edge device to the destination edge device based on the first validation packet. The destination edge device is configured to send, in response to receiving the first validation packet, a second validation packet to a peripheral processing device. The destination edge device is also configured to send the second validation packet according to a validation protocol different from the first validation protocol.

Techniques are described for providing fast re-route (FRR) node and/or link protection along a primary label switched path (LSP) using generic routing encapsulation (GRE) over multi-protocol label switching (MPLS). An ingress edge router of a primary LSP is configured to encapsulate incoming packets into GRE with a destination address of an egress edge router of the primary LSP, and push a primary label onto the encapsulated packet for forwarding along the primary LSP. Upon a failover to a bypass LSP, a point of local repair (PLR) router swaps the primary label on the encapsulated packet with a bypass label. A merge point (MP) router then receives the encapsulated packet via the bypass LSP, and performs a lookup using the destination address of the egress edge router included on the encapsulated packet in order to determine a primary label for forwarding the encapsulated packet along the primary LSP.

A system for routing signals in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) includes one or more Base Band Units (BBUs). Each of the one or more BBUs has one or more digital outputs. The system also includes a plurality of Digital Multiplexer Units (DMUs) coupled to each other and operable to route signals between the plurality of DMUs. Each of the plurality of DMUs is operable to receive one or more digital inputs from the one or more BBUs. The system further includes a plurality of Digital Remote Units (DRUs) coupled to the plurality of DMUs and operable to transport signals between the plurality of DRUs and one or more of the plurality of DMUs.

A system for offloading management controller traffic includes a data port, an out-of-band port, and a leaf switch. The leaf switch includes a switch application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and an unmanaged chip directly connected to the switch ASIC. The switch ASIC is configured to direct data traffic to the data port and offload baseboard management controller (BMC) traffic to the unmanaged chip. The unmanaged chip is configured to direct the BMC traffic to the out-of-band port.

A multimedia conferencing service uses accessible-forwarding-plane network elements such as OpenFlow® controllers and OpenFlow®-enabled switches. A conferencing server receives a conference subscription request including a network address of a L2/L3 signaling server, and connects to an accessible-forwarding-plane controller to control an accessible-forwarding-plane switch. Flow tables and group tables are managed to classify traffic with minimum table usage and update frequency. Media channels are established between clients through the OpenFlow®-enabled switches, relieving bottlenecks at the conferencing server.

A disclosed switch includes: plural ports each of which is connected to another apparatus; a determination unit that determines, for each of the plural ports, whether the port is connected to one of plural switches integrated logically; and a setting unit that sets, for each of the plural ports, a port type or propriety of use based on a result of determination by the determination unit.

The present invention presents a network apparatus and a selective information monitoring method using the network apparatus, which allow a user to monitor only required information (the field information of packets) from all received packets. The network apparatus one or more physical interfaces connected to a monitoring target host and configured to receive network packets from the monitoring target host, and a switch fabric module including a configurable monitoring module configured to perform filtering so that selective information is extracted from the network packets collected through the one or more physical interfaces.

Mechanisms are provided for tracing a route taken by a packet in a Software Defined Network (SDN). Each switch in the SDN is assigned a first color label, from a set of color labels, such that such that adjacent switches have different color labels. Rules are installed in each switch to forward a received data packet to the SDN controller in response to a second color label of the received data packet not matching the first color label assigned to the switch. A second color label, from the set of color labels, is assigned to a trace data packet. A route of the trace data packet is traced through the SDN based on the second color label and application of the one or more rules to the trace data packet at each of the switches in the SDN as the trace data packet is received by each of the switches in the SDN.

A switch apparatus includes: a plurality of ports; a VLAN setting management unit storing entries, in each of which VLAN information and at least one of the plurality of ports are associated with each other, and adding or updating, if an entry corresponding to a combination of VLAN information included in a packet received from a port and the reception port of the packet is not stored, a corresponding entry for the received packet; and a functional unit notifying a predetermined control apparatus of an added or updated content of the entry.