A network device includes a first network processor that forwards packets based on a first forwarding information table; a second network processor that forwards packets based on a second forwarding information table; a first group of ports operably connected to the first network processor; and a second group of ports operably connected to the second network processor. The first forwarding information table specifies that packets, received by the first network processor, that specify a destination device reachable by the first group of ports and the second group of ports are forwarded by a port of the first group of ports. The second forwarding information table specifies that packets, received by the second network processor, that specify the destination device reachable by the first group of ports and the second group of ports are forwarded by a port of the second group of ports.

Embodiments include methods, systems, and computer program products for routing mode selection in a switched fabric network. A fabric login request including a fabric login payload is received at a network device to establish communication parameters with a switched fabric network. The network device can determine whether the fabric login payload includes an extension for routing policy support and whether a current routing policy of the network device is compatible with a routing mode defined in the fabric login payload based on the extension for routing policy support. The fabric login request can be rejected based on determining that the current routing policy of the network device is incompatible with the routing mode defined in the fabric login payload. The fabric login request is completed based on determining that the current routing policy of the network device is compatible with the routing mode defined in the fabric login payload.

A method for establishing a temporal label switched path (T-LSP) implemented in a node in a network. The method includes receiving a path request including a time interval and a set of constraints; obtaining traffic engineering information from a first database; computing, by the node, a path satisfying the time interval and the set of constraints based on the traffic engineering information obtained; storing the time interval and the set of constraints in a second database; and instructing an ingress node of the temporal LSP to signal the temporal LSP in the network along the path computed at a start of the time interval identified in the path request and to tear down the temporal LSP at an end of the time interval identified in the path request.

This application discloses a load balancing method and apparatus, and a device, and relates to the field of network technologies. The method includes: after a packet sent by a server is received, determining whether the packet is a first packet of a flowlet, if the packet is the first packet of the flowlet, determining a destination switch based on a destination address of the packet, determining a weight value of at least one equal-cost path associated with the destination switch in a stored equal-cost path weight table, where the equal-cost path weight table stores a correspondence between the at least one equal-cost path and the weight value, and scheduling, based on the weight value of the at least one equal-cost path, the packet onto a corresponding equal-cost path for transmission.

[Problem] Connection between a centralized control apparatus and a group of transfer apparatuses can be prevented from having a single point of failure. Traffic can be distributed among a plurality of paths. A bypass path is selected when a failure occurs in a switch cluster.

[Solution] Transfer apparatuses 61a to 61d perform communications for path control with a centralized control apparatus 73 that performs centralized control from the outside of a switch cluster including the group of transfer apparatuses, through a path similar to D-plane (main signal). A packet flow controller 87 serving as a separation unit that separates a packet for the inside of the cluster 61 and a packet for the outside of the cluster transmitted through the similar path from each other, and an internal route engine 85 that performs path control of obtaining a path for freely passing through a plurality of paths in the cluster are provided. The packet flow controller 87 separates a path control packet for the inside of the cluster, and the engine 85 performs, when a failure to communicate the path control packet for the inside thus separated occurs, path control of generating a path that bypasses a path with the failure.

A communication system in which a plurality of communication apparatuses in time synchronization with one another are connected over a network is provided. Each of the communication apparatuses includes management means for allowing transmission in accordance with a predetermined communication schedule, of cyclically transmitted first data to be used for control of a manufacturing apparatus or a production facility, second data which should be delivered to a destination within a designated time period, and third data different from the first and second data, selection means for selecting a data transfer scheme for each piece of data to be transmitted from among an on-the-fly scheme, a cut-through scheme, and a store-and-forward scheme based on the communication schedule, and a transmission and reception circuit which transfers each piece of data received from another communication apparatus to yet another communication apparatus in accordance with the data transfer scheme determined for that data.

Methods and systems for wireless packet switching include determining a schedule for transceivers in an enclosure. The schedule specifies which of the transceivers will act as a transmitter and which will act as a receiver. A beamforming direction for transmitting data from each transmitter to each corresponding receiver is determined. It is determined that an angle of the beamforming direction for at least one transmitter is lower than a minimum angle. Data is transmitted from a transmitter to the corresponding receiver by a wired connection, responsive to the determination that the angle of the beamforming direction is lower than a minimum angle.

Methods to strengthen the cyber-security and privacy in a proposed deterministic Internet of Things (IoT) network are described. The proposed deterministic IoT consists of a network of simple deterministic packet switches under the control of a low-complexity ‘Software Defined Networking’ (SDN) control-plane. The network can transport ‘Deterministic Traffic Flows’ (DTFs), where each DTF has a source node, a destination node, a fixed path through the network, and a deterministic or guaranteed rate of transmission. The SDN control-plane can configure millions of distinct interference-free ‘Deterministic Virtual Networks’ (DVNs) into the IoT, where each DVN is a collection of interference-free DTFs. The SDN control-plane can configure each deterministic packet switch to store several deterministic periodic schedules, defined for a scheduling-frame which comprises F time-slots. The schedules of a network determine which DTFs are authorized to transmit data over each fiber-optic link of the network. These schedules also ensure that each DTF will receive a deterministic rate of transmission through every switch it traverses, with full immunity to congestion, interference and Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. Any unauthorized transmissions by a cyber-attacker can also be detected quickly, since the schedules also identify unauthorized transmissions. Each source node and destination node of a DTF, and optionally each switch in the network, can have a low-complexity private-key encryption/decryption unit. The SDN control-plane can configure the source and destination nodes of a DTF, and optionally the switches in the network, to encrypt and decrypt the packets of a DTF using these low-complexity encryption/decryption units. To strengthen security and privacy and to lower the energy use, the private keys can be very large, for example several thousands of bits. The SDN control-plane can configure each DTF to achieve a desired level of security well beyond what is possible with existing schemes such as AES, by using very long keys. The encryption/decryption units also use a new serial permutation unit the very low hardware cost, which allows for exceptional security and very-high throughputs in FPGA hardware.

A storage system switching between mediation models within a storage system, where the switching between mediation models includes: determining, among one or more of the plurality of storage systems, a change in availability of a mediator service, wherein one or more of the plurality of storage systems are configured to request mediation from the mediator service in response to a fault; and communicating, among the plurality of storage systems and responsive to determining the change in availability of the mediator service, a fault response model to be used as an alternate to the mediator service among one or more of the plurality of storage systems.

A network interface card installed in a chassis switch, which includes a switch device and a controller, is provided. The switch device includes a plurality of ports coupled to other network interface cards in the chassis switch, and each of the other network interface cards is a fabric card or a line card. The controller is configured to perform different acts according to the card type of the network interface card, wherein the acts constitute a specific process of path planning which may prevent loops from occurring in the communication paths of control packet delivery between multiple network interface cards in the chassis switch.