Methods and network devices are disclosed for multicast traffic steering in a communications network. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a node in a network, a multicast message comprising an incoming message bit array and a tree identifier value. The embodiment further includes selecting a bit indexed forwarding table stored at the node and corresponding to the tree identifier value, accessing within the selected forwarding table an entry corresponding to an intended destination node for the message, and forwarding, to a neighboring node identified in the accessed entry, a copy of the message comprising a forwarded message bit array in place of the incoming message bit array. An embodiment of a network device includes one or more network interfaces and a processor adapted to perform steps of the method.

A method of providing a path between bridges of a first network segment. The first network segment is configured using a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). The method includes providing a second network segment interconnecting first and second bridges of said first network segment. The second network segment is operable to transmit frames adherent to a High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) network control protocol and to discard the STP control data frames. The method also includes modifying at a first Redundancy Box (RedBox) STP control data frames to form modified data frames adherent to the HSR protocol. The method also includes modifying at a second RedBox, the modified data frames to re-form the STP control data frames.

Methods for segment routing in a software-defined networking (SDN) system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a plurality of values of maximum segment identifier (SID) depths, each from one network element of the SDN system, and identifying a path for a packet to transmit through a plurality of network elements, where a plurality of SIDs corresponding to the plurality of network elements is ordered to represent the path. The method further includes splitting the path into a plurality of sub-paths based on the values of the maximum SID depths of the plurality of network elements, where each network element, for the path, is allocated to process a number of ordered SIDs, and where the number is within the network element's maximum SID depth, and causing packet forwarding of the packet along the plurality of sub-paths based on SIDs allocated to the network elements.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for multi-protocol stateful routing are provided. One method of routing is performed at a multi-protocol stateful router and includes receiving a first message of a client session that is communicated using a first protocol. The method includes obtaining, from the first message, one or more client identifiers, determining a policy server that is assigned to the client session, and storing the one or more client identifiers and a policy server identifier that is associated with the policy server assigned to the client session as a multi-protocol binding record. The method also includes receiving a second message that is communicated using a second protocol that is different from the first protocol, using the multi-protocol binding record to determine that the second message is in the client session, and route the second message to the policy server that is assigned to the client session.

A network device is described that includes one or more processors configured to select a prioritized sub-set of a plurality of routing protocol sessions based on peer priority information. The one or more processors are configured to establish one or more routing protocol sessions of the prioritized sub-set. The one or more processors are configured to, in response to determining that a threshold for establishing the prioritized sub-set of the plurality of routing protocol sessions is satisfied, establish one or more routing protocol sessions of the plurality of routing protocol sessions that are not included in the prioritized sub-set. The one or more processors are configured to forward network traffic using the established one or more routing protocol sessions of the prioritized sub-set and the established one or more routing protocol sessions of the plurality of routing protocol sessions that are not included in the prioritized sub-set.

In one embodiment, segment routing network processing of packets is performed on segment routing packets to use engineered segment routing reverse reply paths which provide efficiencies in communicating packets in a network. In one embodiment, a source node selects a segment identifier of a destination node, with the segment identifier specifying a function value of a dynamic return path segment routing function in order to invoke this function on the destination node. The source node then sends a segment routing packet to the destination address of this segment identifier. Reacting to receipt of this packet and the function value of the dynamic return path segment routing function in the destination address or current segment identifier of the packet, a receiving node generates a responding segment routing packet including the segment identifiers from the received packet in reverse traversal order.

A method includes receiving, from an origin computing node, a first communication addressed to multiple destination computing nodes in a processor interconnect fabric, measuring a first set of one or more communication metrics associated with a transmission path to one or more of the multiple destination computing nodes, and for each of the destination computing nodes, based on the set of communication metrics, selecting between a multicast transmission mode and unicast transmission mode as a transmission mode for transmitting the first communication to the destination computing node.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving non-Internet Protocol (IP) traffic from one or more non-IP traffic sources. The method also includes terminating the non-IP traffic and re-originating the non-IP traffic as first IP traffic in accordance with one or more software-defined networking in a wide area network (SD-WAN) protocols. The method further includes communicating the first IP traffic to an SD-WAN link in accordance with one or more SD-WAN policies.

Techniques for utilizing Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controllers and network border leaf nodes of respective cloud computing networks to configure a data transmission route for a multicast group. Each border leaf node may maintain a respective external sources database, including a number of records indicating associations between a multicast data source, one or more respective border leaf nodes disposed in the same network as the multicast data source, and network capability information. A border leaf node, disposed in the same network as a multicast data source, may broadcast a local source discovery message to all border leaf nodes in remote networks to which it is communicatively coupled. A border leaf node may also communicate network capability information associated with one or more remote networks to a local SDN controller. The SDN controller may utilize the network capability information to configure a data transmission route to one or more destination nodes.

A method for data communication between a first node and a second node over a data paths coupling the first node and the second node includes transmitting messages between the first node and the second node over the data paths including transmitting at least some of the messages over a first data path using a first communication protocol, and transmitting at least some of the messages over a second data path using a second communication protocol and determining that the first data path is altering a flow of messages over the first data path due to the messages being transmitted using the first communication protocol, and in response to the determining, adjusting a number of messages sent over the data paths including decreasing a number of the messages transmitted over the first data path and increasing a number of messages transmitted over the second data path.