One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch capable of processing software-defined data flows. The switch includes an identifier management module and a flow definition management module. During operation, the identifier management module allocates a logical identifier to a link aggregation port group which includes a plurality of ports associated with different links. The flow definition management module processes a flow definition corresponding to the logical identifier, applies the flow definition to ports in the link aggregation port group, and update lookup information for the link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for networking communications. One method includes an operation for receiving a packet in a first format by a virtual driver providing a communications interface of a first type (CI1), the first format being for CI1. Further, the method includes an operation for encapsulating the packet in a second format by a processor, the second format being for a communications interface of a second type (CI2) different from CI1. In addition, the method includes an operation for sending the encapsulated packet in the second format to a switch module. The switch module includes a switch fabric, one or more CI1 ports, and one or more CI2 ports, and the switch module transforms the packet back to the first format to send the packet in the first format to a CI1 network via one of the CI1 ports in the switch module.

A network device within a data communication network includes a plurality of network interfaces, each programmed with a respective set of Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) routing entries for correlating network addresses with physical addresses. Each network interface is further programmed with an additional respective set of Longest Prefix Match (LPM) routing entries for correlating other network addresses with designated network interfaces to enable traffic matching one of the LPM routing entries to be forwarded to the appropriate designated network interface within the network device.

A method of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) switching. A packet of a flow is received onto a SDN switch via a NFX circuit. The NFX circuit determines that the packet matches a flow entry stored in any flow table in the NFX circuit, counts the number of packets of the flow received, and determines that the number of packets of the flow received is above a threshold value. The NFX circuit then forwards the packet to a NFP circuit in the SDN switch. The NFP circuit determines that the packet matches a flow entry stored in the flow table in the NFX and generates a new flow entry that applies to a relatively narrow subflow of packets that is forwarded to and stored the flow table in the NFX circuit. A subsequent packet of the flow is switched by the SDN switch without forwarding the packet to the NFP.

This embodiment provides a user packet forwarding control method and a processing node. A processing node receives a processed user packet sent by a first target value-added server (VAS), and the processing node correspondingly generates a target processing identifier according to the processed user packet, so that the processing node determines, according to the target processing identifier, that the user packet has been processed by the first target VAS. Each processing node can determine VASs that have processed the user packet, without the need to change the original user packet, thereby effectively ensuring that each VAS provides a normal value-added service to the user packet, and avoiding a fault in a process of forwarding the user packet between value-added servers.

Methods, systems, and storage mediums that can allow for automatic re-routing of network traffic in software-defined networks. In some examples, instructions can be provided to network switches in a software-defined network to initially route network traffic along a first flow route. The instructions can further instruct the network switches to automatically re-route the network traffic along a second flow route at a later time.

System and method for using multiple global identification subnet prefix values in a network switch environment in a high performance computing environment. A packet is received from a network fabric by a first Host Channel Adapter (HCA). The packet has a header portion including a destination subnet prefix identifying a destination subnet of the network fabric. The network HCA is allowed to receive the first packet from a port of the network HCA by selectively determining a logical state of a flag and, selectively in accordance with a predetermined logical state of the flag, ignoring the destination subnet prefix identifying the destination subnet of the network fabric.

A Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) pool based responding method is described, including that a BNG device in the BNG pool receives a user access request, and the BNG device responds according to the user access request and a delayed response strategy corresponding to the BNG device. A BNG device, a user equipment and a BNG pool based responding system are also described. Thus a BNG device in a BNG pool can respond to a user access request according to a delayed response strategy, then a user equipment can take a BNG device corresponding to a first response message received as a server, thereby being capable of ensuring system stability.

System and method of dynamically switching among multiple WANs for data transmission to and from a LAN based on real-time network performance. Each WAN may be owned by a respective Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the LAN. A switching device coupled between the WAN and the LAN evaluates the real-time network performance of the current WAN used for data transmission between a LAN user device and a target IP address. If the network performance deteriorates, the switching device may select a different WAN for the data transmission according to a set of service quality policies. The switching device may maintain a flow table to control data routing and communicate with other components in the LAN in compliance with the OpenFlow protocol.

Reassembly of member cells into a packet comprises receiving an incoming member cell of a packet from a switching fabric wherein each member cell comprises a segment of the packet and a header, generating a reassembly key using selected information from the incoming member cell header wherein the selected information is the same for all member cells of the packet, checking a reassembly table in a content addressable memory to find an entry that includes a logic key matching the reassembly key, and using a content index in the found entry and a sequence number of the incoming member cell within the packet, to determine a location offset in a reassembly buffer area for storing the incoming member cell at said location offset in the reassembly buffer area for the packet for reassembly.