A method is disclosed for more efficiently and economically transporting data on a network using network access links between the first switch, which is the entry point of the network, and an end-user device, which is either on a fixed link on a customer premises or is a mobile device. The method includes terminating one or more protocol sessions at the first switch and removing corresponding packet headers. The first switch creates a substitute packet, adding a substitute header that identifies the transport path and the communications connection. Removed headers are not delivered to the end-user device which processes received substitute packets into usable streams based on the substitute header.

A method for adjusting capacity in a multi-stage routing network includes monitoring a number of available connections between a router in a first stage of a multi-stage router network and one or more routers in a second stage of the multi-stage router network. Each of the stages of the multi-stage router network may include a plurality of routers. The method may also include detecting that the number of available connections falls below a threshold number. A notification can be sent to one or more routers in a third stage of the multi-stage router network that the router in the first stage is deprioritized. The one or more routers in the third stage can be operated so that communications to the first stage are routed to one or more other routers in the first stage.

In an OpenFlow network, a “proactive type” is attained and hardware (HW) performance problem is solved. Specifically, in the OpenFlow network, each of a plurality of switches executes, on a reception packet that meets a rule of an entry registered in its own flow table, an operation based on an action defined in the entry. A controller registers an entry, in which an identifier unique to a path calculated based on a physical topology of a network composed of the plurality of switches is set as a rule and an output from a predetermined output port as an action, in each of the plurality of switches before communication is started among the plurality of switches.

A system for optimising routing of traffic in a multilayer telecommunications network is described. The multilayer telecommunications network comprises a first layer and a second layer in which a subset of links in the first layer are served by the second layer. The system is configured to receive network topology data describing topology of the first layer and of the second layer and to receive service requirements data describing data transport services required of the multilayer telecommunications network. The system is configured to generate a flat model by modelling the multilayer telecommunications network as a single-layer telecommunications network, the flat model being based on the network topology data and excluding links of the first layer that are served by the second layer. The system is configured to optimise routing of traffic through the single-layer telecommunications network based on the service requirements data and the flat model using a routing engine, and to convert the optimized routes through the single-layer telecommunications network into first-layer optimized routes through the first layer of the multilayer telecommunications network and second-layer optimized routes through the second layer of the multilayer telecommunications network.

An electronic device that relays an Internet Protocol (IP) packet compliant with one of a plurality of IP versions includes circuitry configured to process the IP packet in each of a first mode operating as a router and a second mode operating as a bridge; and set, as a mode of the electronic device, one of the first mode or the second mode, based on which of the plurality of IP versions the IP packet to be processed is compliant with.

A method, apparatus and system for transferring data from an apparatus called multi-protocol gateway in a network seamlessly that operates using a particular protocol, to another device that is either in the same network or outside operating in a totally different protocol is described. Today, to accomplish this requires external units, one per technology. For example, for supporting both WiFi and WiMAX devices today, we would require a WiFi access point, a WiMAX base station and a router. We provide plug-ins that would handle multiple protocols within the same gateway, to cater to devices that operate in those protocols. The apparatus translates between various protocols in the back end making it inexpensive and portable. The unit is scalable, grows with technology, and acts as a gateway to a local network. The device can be configured to address Quality of Service, Priority between technologies and fault- tolerance through management layer.

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory, a hardware processor, and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor. The logic is configured to receive one or more software defined network (SDN) routes dictating a path through a network comprising a plurality of devices. The logic is also configured to store the one or more SDN routes to the memory along with one or more traditional routes learned by the apparatus and/or configured by an administrator, and indicate the one or more SDN routes as being of a type different from the traditional routes. Moreover, the logic is configured to receive a priority ordering for a plurality of routes stored in the memory from the SDN controller, the plurality of routes including at least one SDN route, and construct a route information base (RIB) based on the plurality of routes and the priority ordering.

In one embodiment, configurable policy-based processing of packets is performed, including, but not limited to, using user-configurable parameters to adjust control-plane allocation of resources used in processing of packets. In one embodiment, these resources include, but are not limited to, processing by fast path or slow path forwarding of packets; forwarding information base (FIB) entries, databases, and hardware processing elements; instantiation of sub-FIB databases; and/or selection of sub-FIB data plane entries for population of sub-FIB databases, a group of FIB entries is label switched traffic, fully expanded Internet Protocol routes, loopback addresses of packet switching devices in the network, label-switched to label-switched traffic, Internet Protocol (IP) to label-switched traffic, IP to IP traffic, and/or label to IP traffic. In one embodiment, a group of the plurality of different groups of FIB entries is defined upon how a route or label corresponding to a FIB entry was learned.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch in a software-defined network. The switch includes at least one port, a flow management module, and forwarding circuitry. The port is capable of receiving a frame belonging to a software-defined data flow and a frame belonging to a regular data flow. The flow management module logically partitions the port for the frame belonging to the software-defined data flow from the frame belonging to the regular data flow. The forwarding circuitry forwards the frame belonging to the software-defined data flow based on a flow definition in a local flow table. The flow definition indicates how the software-defined data flow is processed in a software-defined network.

Embodiments may be generally direct to apparatuses, systems, method, and techniques to provide multi-interconnect protocol communication. In an embodiment, an apparatus for providing multi-interconnect protocol communication may include a component comprising at least one connector operative to connect the component to at least one off-package device via a standard interconnect protocol, and logic, at least a portion of the logic comprised in hardware, the logic to determine data to be communicated via a multi-interconnect protocol, provide the data to a multi-protocol multiplexer to determine a route for the data, route the data on-package responsive to the multi-protocol multiplexer indicating a multi-interconnect on-package mode, and route the data off-package via the at least one connector responsive to the multi-protocol multiplexer indicating a multi-interconnect off-package mode. Other embodiments are described.