Techniques are disclosed relating to a split communications fabric topology. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a communications fabric structure with multiple fabric units. The fabric units may be configured to arbitrate among control packets of different messages. In some embodiments, a processing element is configured to generate a message that includes a control packet and one or more data packets. In some embodiments, the processing element is configured to transmit the control packet to a destination processing element (e.g., a memory controller) via the communications fabric structure and transmit the data packets to a data buffer. In some embodiments, the destination processing element is configured to retrieve the data packets from the data buffer in response to receiving the control packet via the hierarchical fabric structure. In these embodiments, bypassing the fabric structure for data packets may reduce power consumption.

An on-chip crossbar of a network switch comprising a central arbitration component configured to allocate packet data requests received from destination port groups to memory banks. The on-chip crossbar further comprises a Benes routing network comprising a forward network having a plurality of pipelined forward routing stages and a reverse network, wherein the Benes routing network retrieves the packet data from the memory banks coupled to input of the Benes routing network and route the packet data to the port groups coupled to output of the Benes routing network. The on-chip crossbar further comprises a plurality of stage routing control units each associated with one of the forward routing stages and configured to generate and provide a plurality of node control signals to control routing of the packet data through the forward routing stages to avoid contention between the packet data retrieved from different memory banks at the same time.

A method and apparatus for in-line processing a data packet while routing the packet through a router in a system transmitting data packets between a source and a destination over a network including the router. The method includes receiving the data packet and pre-processing layer header data for the data packet as the data packet is received and prior to transferring any portion of the data packet to packet memory. The data packet is thereafter stored in the packet memory. A routing through the router is determined including a next hop index describing the next connection in the network. The data packet is retrieved from the packet memory and a new layer header for the data packet is constructed from the next hop index while the data packet is being retrieved from memory. The new layer header is coupled to the data packet prior to transfer from the router.

A switching system maintains a control-plane operating system and a web server which is in communication with the control-plane operating system. The switching system then sends content by a web page hosted by the web server to a browser on a client device without being solicited by the browser, and allows a user to configure the switching system from the client device via a command line interface presented within the web page on the browser.

Methods and devices for processing packets are provided. The processing device may include an input interface for receiving data units containing header information of respective packets; a first module configurable to perform packet filtering based on the received data units; a second module configurable to perform traffic analysis based on the received data units; a third module configurable to perform load balancing based on the received data units; and a fourth module configurable to perform route lookups based on the received data units.

The present subject matter relates to methods, circuitry and equipment providing a multi-functional, cost effective, media independent, open platform for communication services using differential signaling interfaces. The methods, circuitry and equipment comprise a plurality of input amplifiers, output amplifiers, and multiplexer switches or resistive dividers, which provide the ability to monitor, provide service protection switching, provide redundant services, provide on-demand service, provide service upgrades, security, test, and troubleshoot any communication devices and services.

One embodiment provides a system that facilitates efficient communication based on a forwarding information base (FIB). The system receives, by an intermediate node, a first interest which includes a name and maximum interest information which indicates whether to forward a subsequent interest with a same name prefix as the first interest. In response to obtaining a first entry from a FIB based on the name for the first interest, the system adds to the first entry, for an outgoing interface corresponding to an arrival interface of the first interest, the maximum interest information included in the first interest as an interest limit for the first entry. In response to determining that the interest limit for the first entry is reached, the system refrains from forwarding the subsequent interest, thereby facilitating the intermediate node to manage traffic based on information in the forwarding information base provided by a content producer.

A method in a first network device of performing a software update of a line card of a second network device without disruption to data traffic. The method includes causing a redundant control plane component of the second network device to be updated according to the software update. The method continues with causing the second network device to instantiate, based on the software update, a line card virtual machine (LC VM) as a redundant data plane component for the line card. The method further includes causing a third network device to forward data traffic to both the line card and the LC VM of the second network device, and causing the second network device to update the line card according to the software update while processing the received data traffic using the LC VM.

Techniques are presented herein for distributing address information of host devices in a network. At a first router device, a packet is received from a first host device that is destined for a second host device. The first host device is dually-connected to the first router and a second router device. The second router device is part of a virtual port channel pair with the first router device. A message is sent to the second router device, the message indicating that the first host device is connected to the second router device. The packet is encapsulated with an overlay header and is sent to a third router device that is connected to the second host device. The encapsulated packet contains a Layer 2 address associated with the first host device and a Layer 3 address associated with the first host device.

The present invention discloses methods and systems for a VPN gateway to establish virtual private network (VPN) connections with at least one other VPN gateways. The VPN gateway determines that it is classified into a first VPN gateway group by a VPN management server, and the VPN gateway determines which other VPN gateways belong to the same first VPN gateway group. The VPN gateway then determines and sends information about the number of remaining possible VPN connections (RPVPNC) to the VPN management server, such that the VPN management server is able to send a first configuration to the first VPN gateway. The first VPN gateway is then configured according to the first configuration, and the first VPN gateway establishes VPN connections with other VPN gateways based on VPN connection topology, configuration, and number of RPVPNC of the first VPN gateway and other VPN gateways.