Various implementations described herein refer to a device having a multi-layered logic structure with multiple layers including a first layer and a second layer arranged vertically in a stacked configuration. The device may have a first network that links nodes together in the first layer. The device may have a second network that links the nodes in the first layer together by way of the second layer so as to reduce latency related to data transfer between the nodes.

A physical network element is provided which is configured to operate as a plurality of separated routing entities, each functioning independently of the others, wherein the physical network element is characterized in that: a) each of the plurality of routing entities is provided with its own control, management and data planes, as well as with a dedicated routing information base table and a forwarding information base table; and b) all of the plurality of routing entities are configured to operate while sharing at least one member of a group that consists of: (i) one or more packet processors comprised in the physical network element; (ii) one or more central processing units (CPUs) comprised in the physical network element; (iii) one or more fabrics comprised in the physical network element; and (iv) one or more network interfaces comprised in the physical network element.

In some embodiments, an electronic and digital building block system includes modular electronic building modules that can be electrically coupled together to create various different electronic devices. In addition to physical electronic modules, the system can include digital building blocks to further enhance and integrate the functions of an assembled bit-system that can be created/assembled by a user of the block electronic building system. The digital building blocks are not a physical module, but digital content or other software or cloud applications that can be represented as virtual digital blocks, and that can interface with the physical modules. The digital blocks can provide integration between the functionality of the physical building blocks and functionality of computer-based and/or web-based applications, programs and systems. The electronic and digital building block system can include a system program and a visualizer that can be viewed on the display of a computer device.

A member switch of multiple connected switches receives a stack-discovery packet from a first coupled switch and, in response, generates and transmits a stack-discovery-response packet to the first coupled switch to allow the member switch to be discovered. The member switch receives stack-configuration information from a stack-control node and forwards the stack-discovery packet to a second coupled switch to facilitate discovery of the second coupled switch. The first coupled switch, the member switch, and the second coupled switch are coupled to each other according to a predetermined order, thereby facilitating an ordered discovery of the multiple connected switches. In response to receiving, from the stack-control node, a control packet, the member switch reboots based on the received stack-configuration information. The stack-configuration information comprises a stack-member identifier allocated, based on the predetermined order, by the stack-control mode to the member switch, thereby facilitating formation of an ordered stack.

This application discloses a packet processing method and an LSR. The method includes: receiving, by an Ingress LSR of a first MPLS tunnel, a first notification packet that is based on an IGP, where the first notification packet includes an ELC flag, which is used to indicate that the first Egress LSR has ELC; after learning from the first notification packet that the first Egress LSR has ELC, inserting a label into a first packet, to generate a second packet, where the label forms an MPLS label stack, which includes, from bottom to top, a first EL, a first ELI, and a first TL; and sending the second packet to the first Egress LSR through the first MPLS tunnel.

Techniques are described for providing security extensions to neighbor discovery in Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN). For example, a network device that implements Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN) receives a neighbor discovery response message including a nonce originated by a second network device and not originated by the first network device. The network device processes the neighbor discovery response message including the nonce originated by the second network device and not originated by the first network device.

Techniques for managing the distribution of configuration information that supports the flow of packets in a cloud environment are described. In an example, a virtual network interface card (VNIC) hosted on a network virtualization device NVD receives a first packet from a compute instance associated with the VNIC. The VNIC determines that flow information to send the first packet on a virtual network is unavailable from a memory of the NVD. The VNIC sends, via the NVD, the first packet to a network interface service, where the network interface service maintains configuration information to send packets on the substrate network and is configured to send the first packet on the substrate network based on the configuration information. The NVD receives the flow information from the network interface service, where the flow information is a subset of the configuration information. The NVD stores the flow information in the memory.

An electronic device is described. The electronic device includes a stack of computer network devices, such as a stack of switches and/or routers. This stack of computer network devices includes data planes and ports for directing packets or frames in a wireless network based at least in part on destinations of the packets or frames. Moreover, the electronic device may include multiple controllers (such as processors) that operate as master nodes and that perform network functions for the stack of computer network devices using a database. This database may include a common database that is accessible by the multiple controllers or multiple instances of the database in the multiple controllers, where the multiple instances of the database are synchronized.

A multi-fabric VLAN configuration system includes a first fabric with server devices that are configured to communicate using VLANs, a primary I/O module coupled to the server devices, and a first fabric management system coupled to the server devices and the primary I/O module. The first fabric management system identifies VLAN information associated with the VLANs, automatically configures the primary I/O module using the VLAN information, and causes the VLAN information to be transmitted by the primary I/O module. A second fabric in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system includes a leaf switch device that is coupled to the primary I/O module and that receives the VLAN information, and a second fabric management system that is coupled to the leaf switch device and that receives the VLAN information from the leaf switch device, and automatically configures the leaf switch device using the VLAN information.

A novel and efficient method is described that creates a monolithic high capacity Packet Engine (PE) by connecting N lower capacity Packet Engines (PEs) via a novel Chip-to-Chip (C2C) interface. The C2C interface is used to perform functions, such as memory bit slicing and to communicate shared information, and enqueue/dequeue operations between individual PEs.