A link locating assisting device in a wireless communication network (10) obtains search limitation data concerning the wireless communication network and sends the search limitation data (SLD) to the wireless terminal (12) via a serving network node (14) and a serving link (SLK) for use in obtaining limitations for limiting a search for a set of candidate links (CLK1, CLK2, CLK3). The wireless terminal (12) obtains the search limitation data (SLD), sets limitations for a link search based on the search limitation data, search for candidate links starting with a current link search setting used with the serving link (SLK), and continues searching for candidate links with an offset from the current link search setting that grows with every search until the search limitations have been met.

In one embodiment, a service chain data packet is instrumented as it is communicated among network nodes in a network providing service-level and/or networking operations visibility. The service chain data packet includes a particular header identifying a service group defining one or more service functions, and is a data packet and not a probe packet. A network node adds networking and/or service-layer operations data to the particular service chain data packet, such as, but not limited to, in the particular header. Such networking operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the transport of the particular service chain packet in the network. Such service-layer operations data includes a performance metric or attribute related to the service-level processing of the particular service chain data packet in the network.

An OAM packet processing method includes generating, by a first network device, an OAM packet, where the OAM packet is an MPLS-TP packet that includes an identifier of the first network device and indication information indicating a type of the identifier of the first network device. The first network device sends the OAM packet to the second network device. After receiving the OAM packet, the second network device can determine, based on the indication information, the type of the identifier of the first network device that is carried in the OAM packet, and accurately read the identifier of the first network device from the OAM packet. Therefore, MPLS-TP OAM can be implemented in a plurality of scenarios such as an IPv4 network, an IPv6 network, and a network including IPv4 and IPv6, to expand an application scope of MPLS-TP OAM.

Systems and methods for sending and receiving messages, including training data, using a multi-path packet spraying protocol are described. A method includes segmenting a message into a set of data packets comprising training data. The method further includes initiating transmission of the set of data packets to a receiving node. The method further includes spraying the set of data packets across the switch fabric in accordance with the multi-path spraying protocol such that depending upon a value of a fabric determination field associated with a respective data packet, the respective data packet can traverse via any one of a plurality of paths offered by the switch fabric for a connection between the sending node to the receiving node. The method further includes initiating transmission of synchronization packets to the receiving node, where unlike the set of data packets, the synchronization packets are not sprayed across the switch fabric.

Described herein are methods and devices (e.g., routers) that add network services to a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network. A method can include a network device of the MPLS network receiving a packet, the network device of the MPLS network modifying the packet by adding multiple MPLS extension headers, wherein each of the multiple MPLS extension headers added to the packet is used to support a different one of multiple network services for the MPLS network, and the network device of the MPLS network forwarding the packet as modified to another network device of the MPLS network.

This application provides a communication method, a CP device, and a NAT device; pertains to the field of communication technologies; and relate to a scenario of performing NAT tracing based on a CU-separated BNG. The CP device delivers, to the NAT device, an IP address assigned to a user. Under a trigger condition of receiving the IP address delivered by the CP device, the NAT device assigns a public network IP address to the user, and reports the public network IP address to the CP device. The CP device adds, to an accounting packet, the IP address assigned by the CP device and the public network IP address assigned by the NAT device, and sends the accounting packet to a RADIUS server, to report the public network IP address to the RADIUS server, so that the NAT tracing is performed on the RADIUS server.

A method, apparatus and computer readable medium for reducing traffic loss when bringing up a switch within a multi chassis switch cluster without using dedicated intra cluster links is presented. A first network device in a cluster discovers at least one path to a second network device in the cluster, wherein the cluster utilizes at least one virtual IST between the first network device and the second network device. The first network device starts an Inter Switch Trunk (IST) synchronization process with the second network device. The first network device installs redirection rules, wherein the redirection rules are used for datapath traffic and are not used for control channel traffic. The first network device determines that the IST synchronization process between the first network device and the second network device has completed, and removes the redirection rules.

A method and device for acquiring a response message, a method and device for routing the response message, and a system for acquiring the response message and routing the response message are disclosed. The method includes steps that: a source node sends a service request message to a second group of nodes via a first group of DRA nodes; and the source node acquires the service response message returned by the destination node via the second group of DRA nodes.

Techniques are presented in which a new information element signaling priority of a management entity is included in a setup (e.g., S1-Setup) response or configuration update message sent by a management entity to a base station entity. The base station entity interprets this priority information along with the relative capacity information in an appropriate way to load-distribute the traffic/calls to highly preferable management entity instances (at a local site) when they are available, and switchover/failover to lower preference management entity instances (at a remote site) when there is a local site outage/failure or insufficient capacity in a geo-resilient pooled network.

A system and method for selecting a data delivery network. A determination is made of user information associated with a communication from a user. A determination is made of performance information for multiple data delivery networks. The data delivery network is selected for the communication from the multiple data delivery networks.