Techniques for management of traffic in a network. The techniques provide application awareness in a Network Address Translation (NAT) system. In some examples, a first traffic is received at a first switch in a network from a first application hosted behind the first switch. The first switch identifies a first resource tag associated with the application from the first traffic. Further, the first switch identifies a first rule from the first resource tag indicating that the first traffic is to be routed through an intermediate device that performs network address translation. Moreover, the first switch transmits the traffic to an intermediate device, which perform NAT to translate the source IP address of the first traffic to a second IP address. Finally, the intermediate device sends the traffic to a destination device indicated by the first traffic.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for forwarding data messages between a client and a server (e.g., between client and server machines and/or applications). In some embodiments, the method receives a data message that a load balancer has directed from a particular client to a particular server after selecting the particular server from a set of several candidate servers for the received data message's flow. The method stores an association between an identifier associated with the load balancer and a flow identifier associated with the message flow, and then forwards the received data message to the particular server. The method subsequently uses the load balancer identifier in the stored association to forward to the particular load balancer a data message that is sent by the particular server. The method of some embodiments is implemented by an intervening forwarding element (e.g., a router) between the load balancer set and the server set.

A media access control (MAC) address sending method, apparatus, and system, and a related device are provided. The method is implemented by a first network device connected to a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine. The first network device obtains a MAC address of the first virtual machine; and when the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine have a same MAC address and are located in different virtual local area networks, sends a route to a second network device, where the route includes route information, and the route information includes the MAC address, first virtual local area network information of the first virtual machine, and second virtual local area network information of the second virtual machine. In this method, information about virtual machines having a same MAC address in different virtual local area networks is aggregated to one route.

A media access control (MAC) address sending method, apparatus, and system, and a related device are provided. The method is implemented by a first network device connected to a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine. The first network device obtains a MAC address of the first virtual machine; and when the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine have a same MAC address and are located in different virtual local area networks, sends a route to a second network device, where the route includes route information, and the route information includes the MAC address, first virtual local area network information of the first virtual machine, and second virtual local area network information of the second virtual machine. In this method, information about virtual machines having a same MAC address in different virtual local area networks is aggregated to one route.

Disclosed are systems and methods for seamlessly redirecting network data between a client and a remote server. In one exemplary aspect, the method comprises receiving, at a remote server, the network data via a first remote desktop protocol (RDP) channel, wherein the network data is encapsulated and transmitted by a client device configured to communicate with the remote server. The method further comprises replacing a MAC address listed in the network data with a MAC address of a logical network adapter on the remote server, and placing received network packets into a network driver of the logical network adapter, wherein the logical network adapter transfers received data in an operating system of the remote server such that a server-side application on the remote server receives network packets from the client device.

Disclosed is an improved approach for managing floating/virtual IP addresses in a virtualization system. Where a bare metal cloud provider does not provide adequate facilities to implement broadcast operations, the approach would capture broadcast packets, and from the captured packets, generate calls to the cloud provider to implement configuration changes to reflect the changes desired by the broadcast packets.

This disclosure provides methods, devices and systems for wireless communication, and particularly for address translation during multi-link operation in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The method may include establishing one or more wireless communication links with a station (STA) including a first wireless communication link. The method may include receiving, via the first wireless communication link, a first frame including a first address field that includes a first link media access control (MAC) address associated with the STA. The method may include determining that the STA is associated with a first network MAC address. The method may include removing the first link MAC address from the first address field of the first frame, and inserting the first network MAC address of the STA in a second address field of the first frame. The method may include transmitting the first frame to a first local area network (LAN) device.

The present invention is directed to data communication systems and techniques thereof. In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a network connector that includes an interface for connecting to a host. The interface includes a circuit for utilizing two data paths for the host. The circuit is configured to transform the host address to different addresses based on the data path being used. There are other embodiments as well.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for forwarding data messages between a client and a server (e.g., between client and server machines and/or applications). In some embodiments, the method receives a data message that a load balancer has directed from a particular client to a particular server after selecting the particular server from a set of several candidate servers for the received data message's flow. The method stores an association between an identifier associated with the load balancer and a flow identifier associated with the message flow, and then forwards the received data message to the particular server. The method subsequently uses the load balancer identifier in the stored association to forward to the particular load balancer a data message that is sent by the particular server. The method of some embodiments is implemented by an intervening forwarding element (e.g., a router) between the load balancer set and the server set.

A method, apparatus and system for transmitting data. The system includes: the load balance gate wall translating a virtual MAC address of the virtual server in a destination address of a data packet from a client to a real MAC address of the real server according to a pre-configured address mapping relationship between a real server and a virtual server; the load balance gate wall sending a modified data packet to the virtual switch; the virtual switch determining a data packet flowing into the real server after receiving the data packet from the load balance gate wall, then translating a virtual IP and a virtual port of the virtual server in the destination address in the determined data packet to a real IP and a real port of the real server; and the virtual switch sending the modified data packet to the real server.