US 12,706,836 B2Granted

Network service chains using sustainability

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorsCarlos Pignataro, Nagendra Kumar Nainar, Sri Gundavelli

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Network energy efficiency and green power selection may be optimized by employing graph-oriented service chains configured to share sustainability attributes and metadata augmentation. More specifically, network Service Function Chain (SFC) creation can include a set of power and energy-specific and sustainable attributes. In general, the goal of SFC is to enable the creation of a service path that matches the specific needs of an application or service. SFCs are composed of a sequence of network functions, such as firewalls, load balancers, intrusion detection systems, and other services. Each network function performs a specific task on the network traffic, and the packets are passed from one function to the next until they reach their destination. Overall, SFCs are a powerful tool for managing complex network environments, enabling network administrators to deploy and manage network services more efficiently and effectively.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device, comprising:

one or more processors;
a communications interface;
a non-transitory computer-readable storage media, that when executed by the one or more processors, directs the device to:
initiate a call for a service function by an application;
create an identifier for a service function path and a field suitable for storing a node index associated with a node sequence within a path;
generate a first header comprising the identifier for the service function path, the node index, and green metadata;
compile the first header and a first payload into a first packet;
receive the first packet at a first destination point;
determine a service function to be performed;
determine a second destination point where the service function is to be performed, using the green metadata;
and
transmit the first packet to a network;
and
a service function forwarder configured to:
analyze the first packet to determine a first service function to be performed based on the identifier for the service function path and the node index;
forward the first packet to the first service function;
and
cause the first service function to perform a service, decrement the node index, and
re-encapsulate the first packet.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/194,037Filed 31 Mar 2023
Published: US 2024/0333633 A13 Oct 2024
Granted: 11 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04L 45/302
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: route determination based on requested QoS
H04L 69/22
Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass:…
H04L 45/0377
Routes obligatorily traversing service-related nodes: for service chaining
H04L 45/306
Route determination based on requested QoS: route determination based on the nature of the carried application