Methods and apparatus for a distributed control plane

A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

• receive, at a first network control entity implemented at a first edge device from a plurality of edge devices within a distributed switch, a control packet from a peripheral processing device operably coupled to the distributed switch via a second edge device from the plurality of edge devices, the second edge device operably coupled between the peripheral processing device and the first network control entity;
• determine routing information associated with the peripheral processing device based on the control packet;
• and
• send the routing information to a second network control entity such that the second network control entity routes a data unit addressed to the peripheral processing device through the distributed switch without sending the data unit to the first edge device, the first network control entity being associated with a routing instance that is associated with the second network control entity, the routing information being sent to the second network control entity without being sent to a third network control entity not associated with the routing instance.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a first edge device configured to be operative within a distributed switch and operatively coupled to a second edge device of the distributed switch and a third edge device of the distributed switch, the first edge device configured to operatively couple a peripheral processing device to the distributed switch, the first edge device configured to include a portion of a tunnel between the peripheral processing device and a network control entity at the second edge device such that the peripheral processing device sends a control packet to the network control entity at the second edge device via the tunnel,
• the first edge device configured to receive a data unit addressed to the peripheral processing device from the third edge device and not via the second edge device based on the third edge device receiving routing information associated with the peripheral processing device from the network control entity of the second edge device in response to the network control entity of the second edge device receiving the control packet;
• and
• the first edge device configured to include a network control entity that receives the routing information from the network control entity of the second edge device based on the network control entity of the first edge device being associated with a routing instance that is associated with the network control entity of the second edge device.