US 11,706,138 B2
Distributing service function chain data and service function instance data in a network
Eric C. Rosen, Arlington, MA (US); John E. Drake, Pittsburgh, PA (US); William Stuart Mackie, Carmel, NY (US); and Adrian John Farrel, Llangollen (GB)
Assigned to Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Juniper Networks, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/527,864.
Application 17/527,864 is a continuation of application No. 15/368,282, filed on Dec. 2, 2016, granted, now 11,277,338.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/399,934, filed on Sep. 26, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0078113 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04L 45/00 (2022.01); H04L 45/74 (2022.01); H04L 67/10 (2022.01); H04L 45/302 (2022.01); H04L 45/64 (2022.01); H04L 67/63 (2022.01); H04L 69/325 (2022.01); H04L 41/5054 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/74 (2013.01) [H04L 45/00 (2013.01); H04L 45/306 (2013.01); H04L 45/38 (2013.01); H04L 45/64 (2013.01); H04L 67/10 (2013.01); H04L 67/63 (2022.05); H04L 69/325 (2013.01); H04L 41/5054 (2013.01); H04L 2212/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device and according to a layer 3 routing protocol, a service function instance route advertisement that includes service function instance data for a service function instance, the service function instance data indicating a service function type and a service identifier that uniquely identifies the service function instance among service function instances of the service function type;
receiving, by the computing device and according to the layer 3 routing protocol, a service function chain route advertisement that includes service function chain data for a service function chain, the service function chain data indicating a service path identifier and one or more service function items; and
sending, by the computing device, to the service function instance, and based at least on determining that a service function item of the one or more service function items indicates the service function instance, a packet classified to the service function chain.