A fabric manager includes: a processing unit having a service chain creation module configured to create a service chain by connecting some of a plurality of nodes via virtual links; wherein the some of the plurality of nodes represent respective network components of an auxiliary network configured to obtain packets from a traffic production network; and wherein the service chain is configured to control an order of the network components represented by the some of the plurality of nodes packets are to traverse.

A network system for a data center. In one example, a method comprises establishing, by a plurality of access nodes, a logical tunnel over a plurality of data paths across a switch fabric between a source access node and a destination access node included within the plurality of access nodes, wherein the source access node is coupled to a source network device; and spraying, by the source access node, a data flow of packets over the logical tunnel to the destination access node, wherein the source access node receives the data flow of packets from the source network device, and wherein spraying the data flow of packets includes directing each of the packets within the data flow to one of the data paths based on an amount of data previously transmitted on each of the plurality of data paths.

In one embodiment, a method generally includes a first edge (E) node in a network receiving an encapsulated data packet, wherein the encapsulated data packet comprises an outer header and a data packet, wherein the outer header comprises a first router locator (RLOC) corresponding to the first E node, wherein the data packet comprises an internet protocol (IP) header, and wherein the IP header comprises a destination endpoint identification (EID) corresponding to a host H. The first E node determines whether the host H is attached to the first E node. And in response to the first E node determining the host is attached to the first E node, the first E node forwards the data packet to the host H. The first E node receives a message from another node after the host H detaches from the first E node and reattaches to another E node, wherein the message comprises the destination EID.

In one embodiment, a method generally includes a first edge (E) node in a network receiving an encapsulated data packet, wherein the encapsulated data packet comprises an outer header and a data packet, wherein the outer header comprises a first router locator (RLOC) corresponding to the first E node, wherein the data packet comprises an internet protocol (IP) header, and wherein the IP header comprises a destination endpoint identification (EID) corresponding to a host H. The first E node determines whether the host H is attached to the first E node. And in response to the first E node determining the host is attached to the first E node, the first E node forwards the data packet to the host H. The first E node receives a message from another node after the host H detaches from the first E node and reattaches to another E node, wherein the message comprises the destination EID.

The present disclosure provides systems, methods and computer-readable media for maintaining network connectivity, in a LISP based network, when one or more network edge nodes lose connectivity to a LISP control plane of the network, using multicast messaging. In one example, a method includes receiving a connection request from a first endpoint to a second endpoint communicatively coupled to a second edge node; determining, by the first edge node, that a connection session to a control plane for locating the second endpoint has failed; querying one or more available edge nodes for locating the second endpoint using a multicast message; locating the second endpoint based on at least one query response received from the one or more available edge nodes, at least one query response including an identifier of the second endpoint; and establishing the connection request between the first endpoint and the second endpoint upon locating the second endpoint.

The present disclosure provides systems, methods and computer-readable media for maintaining network connectivity, in a LISP based network, when one or more network edge nodes lose connectivity to a LISP control plane of the network, using multicast messaging. In one example, a method includes receiving a connection request from a first endpoint to a second endpoint communicatively coupled to a second edge node; determining, by the first edge node, that a connection session to a control plane for locating the second endpoint has failed; querying one or more available edge nodes for locating the second endpoint using a multicast message; locating the second endpoint based on at least one query response received from the one or more available edge nodes, at least one query response including an identifier of the second endpoint; and establishing the connection request between the first endpoint and the second endpoint upon locating the second endpoint.

Methods and systems are disclosed. The method comprises: designating a first plurality of links from a first stack segment to a second stack segment as a first etherchannel link; designating a second plurality of links from the first stack segment to a third stack segment as a second etherchannel link, where the second stack segment and the third stack segment are in communication with a fourth stack segment; designating the first etherchannel link and the second etherchannel link as members of a hierarchical etherchannel link; and sending a packet from the first stack segment to the fourth stack segment using the hierarchical etherchannel link.

Methods and systems are disclosed. The method comprises: designating a first plurality of links from a first stack segment to a second stack segment as a first etherchannel link; designating a second plurality of links from the first stack segment to a third stack segment as a second etherchannel link, where the second stack segment and the third stack segment are in communication with a fourth stack segment; designating the first etherchannel link and the second etherchannel link as members of a hierarchical etherchannel link; and sending a packet from the first stack segment to the fourth stack segment using the hierarchical etherchannel link.

In one embodiment, a method selects a percentage of a plurality hosts that are coupled together via a network fabric and calculates a number of workloads needed for the percentage of hosts based on a benchmark test to run. A plurality of data compute nodes are configured on one or more host pairs in the percentage of the plurality of hosts to send and receive the number of workloads through the network fabric to perform the benchmark test. A set of measurements is received for sending and receiving the workloads through the network fabric using the plurality of data compute nodes. The method increases the percentage of the plurality of hosts until the set of measurements fails a criteria or the percentage of the plurality of hosts is all of the plurality of hosts.

Methods and systems are disclosed. The method comprises: designating a first plurality of links from a first stack segment to a second stack segment as a first etherchannel link; designating a second plurality of links from the first stack segment to a third stack segment as a second etherchannel link, where the second stack segment and the third stack segment are in communication with a fourth stack segment; designating the first etherchannel link and the second etherchannel link as members of a hierarchical etherchannel link; and sending a packet from the first stack segment to the fourth stack segment using the hierarchical etherchannel link.