A network apparatus comprising a trunk end point associated with an Ethernet-tree (E-Tree) service in a network domain and configured to forward a frame that comprises a tag according to the tag in the frame, wherein the tag in the frame is a root tag that indicates a root source of the frame or a leaf tag that indicates a leaf source of the frame, and wherein the trunk end point is coupled to a second end point associated with the E-tree service outside the network domain.

Some embodiments provide a method for maintaining a virtual network that spans at least one cloud datacenter separate from multi-machine edge nodes of an entity. This method configures a gateway in the cloud datacenter to establish secure connections with several edge devices at several multi-machine edge nodes (e.g., branch offices, datacenters, etc.) in order to establish the virtual network. The method configures the gateway to assess quality of connection links with different edge devices, and to terminate a secure connection with a particular edge device for a duration of time after the assessed quality of the connection link to the particular edge device is worse than a threshold value. In some embodiments, the gateway is configured to distribute routes to edge devices at the edge nodes, and to forgo distributing any route to the particular edge device along the connection link for the duration of time when the assessed quality of the connection link is worse than (e.g., less than) a threshold value. In different embodiments, the gateway assesses the quality of the connection link based on different factors or different combinations of factors. Examples of such factors in some embodiments include the following attributes of a connection link: packet loss, latency, signal jitter, etc. Also, the routes that the gateway distributes in some embodiments include routes that the edge devices distribute to the gateway, as well as routes that the gateway learns on its own.

Technologies for managing network traffic through heterogeneous fog network segments of a fog network include a fog node deployed in a fog network segment. The fog node is configured to receive a fog frame that includes control instructions. The fog node is further configured to perform a route selection action to identify a preferred target fog node based on the control instructions, perform action(s) based on the control instructions and network characteristic(s) of the fog network segment relative to corresponding network characteristic(s) of the different fog network segment, and generate updated control instructions based on at least one network characteristic of the different fog network segment. Additionally, the fog node is configured to replace the original control instructions of the received fog frame with the updated control instructions and transmit the received fog frame with the updated control instructions to the preferred target fog node. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A method for processing data packets in a communication network includes establishing a path for a flow of the data packets through the communication network. At a node along the path having a plurality of aggregated ports, a port is selected from among the plurality to serve as part of the path. A label is chosen responsively to the selected port. The label is attached to the data packets in the flow at a point on the path upstream from the node. Upon receiving the data packets at the node, the data packets are switched through the selected port responsively to the label.

A packet routing method includes computing, for a source node in the data network and a destination node in the data network, a set of multiple routes providing a set of shortest routes from the source to the destination that satisfy all the truth assignments for the Boolean algebra available from the path in the network. The method selects, for a packet flow, a route where logical conjunction of the policy constraints of the flow and the route is satisfied and where the route has sufficient bandwidth.

A packet routing method includes computing, for a source node in the data network and a destination node in the data network, a set of multiple routes providing a set of shortest routes from the source to the destination that satisfy all the truth assignments for the Boolean algebra available from the path in the network. The method selects, for a packet flow, a route where logical conjunction of the policy constraints of the flow and the route is satisfied and where the route has sufficient bandwidth.

Techniques for virtual private network (VPN) services over optical networks. Client data is received from a source device connected to a first node in an optical communication network. The client data is for transmission over the optical communication network to a destination device connected to a second node in the optical communication network. The client data is transmitted from the source device to the destination device using a layer 2 (L2) virtual network connection between the source device and the destination device. This includes transmitting the client data from the first node to the second node over an optical transport network (OTN) path through the optical communication network using a frame. The second node is configured to receive the frame and transmit the client data to the destination device based on an identifier in the frame.

A network apparatus comprising a trunk end point associated with an Ethernet-tree (E-Tree) service in a network domain and configured to forward a frame that comprises a tag according to the tag in the frame, wherein the tag in the frame is a root tag that indicates a root source of the frame or a leaf tag that indicates a leaf source of the frame, and wherein the trunk end point is coupled to a second end point associated with the E-tree service outside the network domain.

A method for processing data packets in a communication network includes establishing a path for a flow of the data packets through the communication network. At a node along the path having a plurality of aggregated ports, a port is selected from among the plurality to serve as part of the path. A label is chosen responsively to the selected port. The label is attached to the data packets in the flow at a point on the path upstream from the node. Upon receiving the data packets at the node, the data packets are switched through the selected port responsively to the label.

Technologies for managing network traffic through heterogeneous fog network segments of a fog network include a fog node deployed in a fog network segment. The fog node is configured to receive a fog frame that includes control instructions. The fog node is further configured to perform a route selection action to identify a preferred target fog node based on the control instructions, perform action(s) based on the control instructions and network characteristic(s) of the fog network segment relative to corresponding network characteristic(s) of the different fog network segment, and generate updated control instructions based on at least one network characteristic of the different fog network segment. Additionally, the fog node is configured to replace the original control instructions of the received fog frame with the updated control instructions and transmit the received fog frame with the updated control instructions to the preferred target fog node. Other embodiments are described and claimed.