| CPC G06F 9/45558 (2013.01) [G06F 9/546 (2013.01); H04L 12/4633 (2013.01); H04L 41/0803 (2013.01); H04L 41/0816 (2013.01); H04L 41/5003 (2013.01); H04L 41/5054 (2013.01); H04L 45/26 (2013.01); H04L 45/308 (2013.01); H04L 45/38 (2013.01); H04L 45/586 (2013.01); H04L 45/66 (2013.01); H04L 45/74 (2013.01); H04L 45/745 (2013.01); H04L 47/125 (2013.01); H04L 47/17 (2013.01); H04L 47/19 (2013.01); H04L 47/2425 (2013.01); H04L 49/252 (2013.01); H04L 49/3009 (2013.01); H04L 61/2592 (2013.01); H04L 67/10 (2013.01); H04L 67/1001 (2022.05); H04L 67/101 (2013.01); H04L 67/51 (2022.05); H04L 67/56 (2022.05); H04L 67/563 (2022.05); H04L 67/60 (2022.05); H04L 69/321 (2013.01); H04L 69/324 (2013.01); H04L 69/325 (2013.01); G06F 2009/4557 (2013.01); G06F 2009/45595 (2013.01); H04L 41/0806 (2013.01); H04L 41/0893 (2013.01); H04L 2101/622 (2022.05); H04L 2212/00 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |

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1. A method of specifying a sequence of services, the method comprising:
identifying, for a data message associated with a source machine executing on a source host computer, a plurality of service nodes to perform a plurality of service operations on the data message, the plurality of service nodes defining a service path in a network, the service path comprising the plurality of service nodes;
distributing to the source host computer a service insertion rule to use to identify the plurality of service nodes as the data message traverses along an egress path from the source host computer to a destination host computer; and
distributing, to each of a plurality of host computers that each executes at least one service node, at least one next-hop forwarding rule that comprises a network address of a next-hop service node in a service path, each host computer using each next-hop forwarding rule to retrieve the network address of a next-hop service node to forward the data message after a service node on the host computer performs a service operation on the data message.
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