In general, this disclosure describes a programmable network platform for dynamically programming a cloud exchange to provide a layer three (L3) routing instance as a service to customers of the cloud exchange. In one example, a cloud exchange comprises an L3 network located within a data center and configured with an L3 routing instance for an enterprise; and for the L3 routing instance, respective first and second attachment circuits for first and second cloud service provider networks co-located within the data center, wherein the L3 routing instance stores a route to a subnet of the second cloud service provider network to cause the L3 routing instance to forward packets, received from the first cloud service provider network via the first attachment circuit, to the second cloud service provider network via the second attachment circuit.

Controller(s) in a software defined network (SDN) are able to determine a control path towards each network switch by performing a switch-originated discovery and using an in-band control network that is an overlay on the data network. A topology tree is maintained, where each controller being the root of the tree, and where messages from the root to any switch may pass through neighboring switches to reach that switch (and vice-versa). Each switch in the SDN attempts to connect to the controller when it does not have a readily configured control connection towards the controller. Once the controller learns about the presence of a new switch and at least one or more paths to reach that switch through a novel discovery process, it can select, adjust and even optimize the control path's route towards that switch.

A method for sharing an uplink port among network slices, an apparatus, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are disclosed. The method may include: creating logical uplink ports of network slices (S201); establishing a one-to-one logical mapping between the logical uplink ports and access AC interfaces of a VXLAN in a shared slice (S202); and enabling the VXLAN in the shared slice, and transmitting, by means of a physical uplink port of the shared slice, service messages for the network slices (S203).

In a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN) packet encapsulation and policy execution method, a communications device determines an application identifier for identifying an application type of an Ethernet frame, and places the application identifier in a VXLAN header. Another device may directly execute a corresponding policy based on the application identifier in the VXLAN header and without analyzing a packet.

Network identifiers are extracted from route advertisements. A table associates virtual network identifiers with provider edge devices. When a virtual network identifier extracted from a route advertisement matches a virtual network identifier in the table, the route advertisement is propagated to the provider edge devices associated with that virtual network identifier in the table. The route advertisement is not propagated to provider edge devices not associated with that virtual network identifier in the table.

Network identifiers are extracted from route advertisements. A table associates virtual network identifiers with provider edge devices. When a virtual network identifier extracted from a route advertisement matches a virtual network identifier in the table, the route advertisement is propagated to the provider edge devices associated with that virtual network identifier in the table. The route advertisement is not propagated to provider edge devices not associated with that virtual network identifier in the table.

Example data transmission methods and apparatus are described. In one example method, a data distribution point obtains a first correspondence between a first virtual extensible local area network identifier (VXLAN ID) and an address of a first terminal. The data distribution point receives a first VXLAN packet based on a tunnel of a first VXLAN, where the first VXLAN packet includes the first VXLAN ID and first data. The address of the first terminal is determined based on the first VXLAN ID carried in the first VXLAN packet and the first correspondence. The first distribution point sends the first data to the first terminal based on the address of the first terminal.

Techniques are described by which a network management system (NMS) provides a common user interface (UI) to enable a user to collectively configure network devices to establish an EVPN topology. For example, an NMS is configured to: generate data representative of a common UI comprising UI elements representing a plurality of network devices to be configured in an EVPN topology; receive, via the common UI, an indication of a user input selecting one or more of the UI elements representing selected network devices; generate UI elements representing a plurality of ports of the selected network devices; receive, via the common UI, an indication of a user input selecting the UI elements representing one or more selected ports; and generate, based on the one or more selected network devices and one or more selected ports, topology relationship information of the one or more selected devices to establish the EVPN topology.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for cloning a set of one or more applications implemented by a first set of machines connected through a first logical network that defines a virtual private cloud (VPC) in a set of one or more datacenters. The method detects that the first logical network does not have sufficient resources to process a set of network traffic destined for the set of one or more applications implemented by the first set of machines. Based on said detecting, the method uses a set of network configuration data that configures a set of logical forwarding elements (LFEs) of the first logical network to define a cloned, second logical network for connecting a cloned, second set of machines that implement a second set of one or more applications. The method uses the cloned, second logical network to process at least a subset of the network traffic destined to the set of applications.

Techniques for uplink connectivity determination are disclosed. In an example, a Frame Link Module (FLM) in a frame, belonging to a group of frames connected in a ring network, may generate an uplink discovery packet. The FLM may determine, based on a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) packet received by the standby uplink from a customer network accessing the ring that the standby uplink has a link to the customer network. The FLM may forward the uplink discovery packet to the standby uplink via a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface. The FLM may send the uplink discovery packet to the customer network through the standby uplink directed to an owner FLM. The owner FLM may monitor receipt of the uplink discovery packet from the customer network through a current active uplink and on successful receipt may determine that the standby uplink and switches in the customer network are correctly configured.