Contextual network service access and data routing

Abstract

The present technology discloses methods, systems, and non-transitory computer- readable media for defining, for a network primitive in a network domain, whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data bearing an associated specified context from one or more source nodes through a software-defined wide-area network (SDWAN) fabric stack, publishing a capability of the network primitive stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data bearing the specified context, and controlling selective transmission of data bearing the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network primitive through the SDWAN fabric stack based on the capability of the network primitive to receive data bearing the specified context.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 17 / 091,478, filed November 6, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 065,932, filed August 14, 2020, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The subject matter of the present disclosure relates generally to the field of computer networking, and more particularly, to systems, methods, and computer-readable media for controlling network service access and data routing based on one or both of user and application context. BACKGROUND

[0004] Enterprise network landscapes are continually evolving. There is greater demand for mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) device traffic, Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, and cloud adoption. In addition, security demands are increasing, and certain applications can require prioritization and optimization for normal operation. With this increase in complexity, there is a push to provide high availability and scale while also reducing costs and operating expenses.

[0005] Traditional Wide Area Network (WAN) architectures are facing significant challenges in this evolving landscape. Traditional WAN architectures typically include multiple Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) transports, or MPLS paired with Internet or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) links, used in active / backup fashion, most commonly with Internet or SaaS traffic backhauled to a central data center or regional hub for Internet access. Problems with these architectures can include insufficient bandwidth, high cost of bandwidth, application downtime, poor SaaS performance, complex operations, complex workflows for cloud connectivity, long deployment times and policy changes, limited application visibility, and difficulty in securing the network.

[0006] In recent years, software-defined enterprise network solutions have been developed to address these challenges. Software-defined enterprise networking is part of the broader technology of software-defined networking (SDN), which includes both software-defined wide area networks (SDWAN) and software-defined local area networks (SDLAN). SDN is a centralized approach to network management that decouples the underlying network infrastructure from its applications. This decoupling of the data plane forwarding and control plane can allow network operators to centralize network intelligence and provide more network automation, operational simplicity, and centralized provisioning, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Software-defined enterprise networking can apply these principles of SDN to the WAN and local area networks (LAN).

[0007] Devices within a network involved in SDWAN and SDWAN integration (e.g., cross-domain SDWAN integration) can lack the ability to facilitate data routing and network service access based on assigned user and application contexts. In particular, some of the SDWAN-capable devices in a deployment can support the ability to accept assigned contexts when providing network service access, while other devices lack the ability to accept assigned contexts when providing network service access. Thus, it is currently difficult to support brownfield SDWAN or greenfield SDWAN deployments when edge devices that lack this capability are used in the deployment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An example of a high-level network architecture is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 An example of a network topology is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 An example of a diagram showing operations for a protocol for managing overlay networks is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4 An example of a diagram showing operations for a virtual private network for segmenting a network is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 An example of a network environment is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6 An example method is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 An example of a network device is shown; and

[0016] Figure 8 An example of a bus computing system is shown in which the components of the system are in electrical communication with each other using a bus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As such, the following description and drawings are illustrative rather than restrictive. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodiment in the present disclosure are not necessarily references to the same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of the embodiments.

[0018] References to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which can be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.

[0019] The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, in the context of the disclosure, and in the specific context of each term's usage. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborately discussed herein or whether synonyms are used in different instances. In some cases, a synonym can be provided for certain terms. The use of a term in the specification as well as in the examples is not exclusionary of other synonyms of the term. Examples of terms used throughout this specification, including any terms discussed herein, are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure or any example term. Similarly, the disclosure is not limited to the various embodiments described in this specification.

[0020] Without intending to limit the scope of the present disclosure, examples of instruments, devices, methods and related results thereof according to embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. It should be noted that, for the convenience of the reader, titles or subtitles may be used in the examples, but this will not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the meanings that are generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. In the event of a conflict, this document (including definitions) shall prevail. Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the subsequent description, and in part will be readily understood from the description, or may be known by practicing the principles disclosed herein. The features and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained by the instruments and combinations specifically pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the present disclosure will become more readily understood by the following description and the appended claims, or may be known by practicing the principles set forth herein.

[0021] SUMMARY

[0022] Various aspects of the invention are set out in the independent claims, with preferred features set out in the dependent claims. Features of one aspect may be applied to any aspect alone or in combination with other aspects.

[0023] A method may include: defining, for a network element in a network domain, whether the network element is capable of receiving data carrying an associated specified context from one or more source nodes through a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) fabric overlay; publishing capabilities of the network element, the capabilities stating whether the network element is capable of receiving data carrying the specified context; and controlling selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from one or more source nodes to the network element through the SDWAN fabric overlay based on the capability of the network element to receive the data carrying the specified context.

[0024] In some embodiments of the method, the network primitive is one of: a network tunnel, a virtual private network, and a node in a specific prefix in a network domain.

[0025] In some embodiments of the method, the specified context is a security group tag assigned to the one or more source nodes.

[0026] In some embodiments of the method, the one or more source nodes are in a second network domain that is coupled to the network domain containing the network primitives via an SDWAN fabric overlay.

[0027] In some embodiments of the method, the network primitive comprises one or more of a virtual private network associated with the network device, a network tunnel associated with the network device, and a network prefix associated with the network device, the method further comprising controlling the selective transmission of the data bearing the specified context in a prioritized order of whether the network tunnel is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context, whether the virtual private network is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context, and whether the network prefix is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context.

[0028] In some embodiments of the method, the network primitive is a node in a particular prefix in the network domain, the method further comprising maintaining a list of prefixes based on whether nodes in a plurality of different prefixes are capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context, the list of prefixes comprising a list of prefixes that can receive the data bearing the specified context; applying a routing graph to the list of prefixes, the routing graph comprising the network primitive and one or more source nodes; and determining whether the data bearing the specified context can be received by the network primitive based on the application of the routing graph to the list of prefixes.

[0029] In some embodiments of the method, the network primitive shares the data bearing the specified context with other network primitives in the network domain.

[0030] In some embodiments of the method, the network primitive is an edge node, the edge node being in a particular prefix in the network domain and being configured to receive data through a particular tunnel in a particular virtual private network, the method further comprising determining whether the particular tunnel is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context; determining whether the particular virtual private network is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context; determining whether the particular prefix is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context; and controlling the selective transmission of the data bearing the specified context to the edge node based on whether the particular tunnel, the particular virtual private network, and the particular prefix are capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context.

[0031] In some embodiments of the method, controlling the selective transmission of the data bearing the specified context to the edge node further comprises avoiding the transmission of the data bearing the specified context to the edge node if the particular tunnel lacks the capability to receive the data bearing the specified context, regardless of whether the particular virtual private network and the particular prefix have the capability to receive the data bearing the specified context.

[0032] In some embodiments of the method, controlling the selective transmission of the data bearing the specified context to the edge node further comprises avoiding the transmission of the data bearing the specified context to the edge node if the particular virtual private network lacks the capability to receive the data bearing the specified context, regardless of whether the particular prefix has the capability to receive the data bearing the specified context.

[0033] In some embodiments of the method, the method further comprises controlling propagation of the data bearing the designated context to other nodes within the particular prefix based on characteristics of the particular prefix in receiving the data bearing the designated context.

[0034] In some embodiments of the method, the characteristics of the particular prefix in receiving the data bearing the designated context comprise that the edge node is a suitable destination for receiving the data bearing the designated context.

[0035] In some embodiments of the method, the SDWAN fabric stack is managed by an overlay management protocol (OMP).

[0036] In some embodiments of the method, the OMP is configured to control the selective transmission of the data bearing the designated context through the SDWAN fabric stack from the one or more source nodes to the network primitive based on the ability of the network primitive to receive the data bearing the designated context.

[0037] In some embodiments of the method, the OMP is configured to control the selective transmission of the data bearing the designated context by updating one or more forwarding tables of the one or more source nodes based on the ability of the network primitive to receive the data bearing the designated context.

[0038] A system can comprise one or more processors; and at least one computer- readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: defining, for a network primitive in a network domain, whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data bearing an associated designated context through a software-defined wide-area network (SDWAN) fabric stack from one or more source nodes; publishing the capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data bearing the designated context; and controlling selective transmission of the data bearing the designated context through the SDWAN fabric stack from the one or more source nodes to the network primitive based on the ability of the network primitive to receive the data bearing the designated context.

[0039] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can comprise instructions stored therein, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: defining, for a network primitive in a network domain, whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data bearing an associated designated context through a software-defined wide-area network (SDWAN) fabric stack from one or more source nodes; publishing the capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data bearing the designated context; and controlling selective transmission of the data bearing the designated context through the SDWAN fabric stack from the one or more source nodes to the network primitive based on the ability of the network primitive to receive the data bearing the designated context.

[0040] Example Embodiments

[0041] The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art to determine edge device capabilities for determining context of receiving users and applications in a SDWAN. The present technology relates to methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable media for controlling network service access and data routing based on one or both of user and application context in a SDWAN. In particular, the present technology can reduce the difficulty of brownfield or greenfield deployments.

[0042] Figure 1 An example of a network architecture 100 for implementing various aspects of the present technology is shown. One example of an implementation of the network architecture 100 is a SDWAN architecture. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there can be more or fewer components of the network architecture 100 and any other system discussed in the present disclosure, which can employ similar or alternative configurations. Diagrams and examples are provided in the present disclosure for the sake of brevity and clarity. Other embodiments can include different numbers and / or types of elements, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such variations do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. SDWAN architecture. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there can be more or fewer components of the network architecture 100 and any other system discussed in the present disclosure, which can employ similar or alternative configurations. Diagrams and examples are provided in the present disclosure for the sake of brevity and clarity. Other embodiments can include different numbers and / or types of elements, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such variations do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] In this example, the network architecture 100 can include a coordination plane 102, a management plane 120, a control plane 130, and a data plane 140. The coordination plane 102 can help edge network devices 142 (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) to automatically on-board to the overlay network. The coordination plane 102 can include one or more physical or virtual network coordinator appliances 104. The network coordinator appliance(s) 104 can perform initial authentication of the edge network devices 142 and coordinate connections between devices of the control plane 130 and the data plane 140. In some embodiments, the network coordinator appliance(s) 104 can also enable communication for devices behind Network Address Translation (NAT). In some embodiments, the physical or virtual network coordinator appliance(s) 104 can be implemented as a SD-WAN vBond device. SD-WAN vBond devices can operate as the network coordinator appliance(s) 104.

[0044] The management plane 120 can be responsible for central configuration and monitoring of the network. The management plane 120 can include one or more physical or virtual network management devices 122. In some embodiments, the network management device(s) 122 can provide centralized management of the network via a graphical user interface to enable users to monitor, configure, and maintain edge network devices 142 and links in the underlay and overlay networks (e.g., the Internet transport network 160, the MPLS network 162, the 4G / LTE network 164). The network management device(s) 122 can support multi-tenancy and be able to centrally manage logically isolated networks related to different entities (e.g., enterprises, departments within an enterprise, teams within a department, etc.). Alternatively, or additionally, the network management device(s) 122 can be a dedicated network management system for a single entity. In some embodiments, the physical or virtual network management device(s) 122 can be a combination of a physical network management device and a virtual network management device. In some embodiments, the network management device(s) 122 can be a combination of a network management device and a network controller device. The SD-WAN vManage device can operate as the network management device(s) 122. The management plane 120 can include an analytics engine 124 to provide analytics on the network.

[0045] The control plane 130 can establish and maintain the network topology and make decisions on where traffic flows. The control plane 130 can include one or more physical or virtual network controller devices 132. The network controller device(s) 132 can establish secure connections with each of the network devices 142 and distribute routing and policy information via control plane protocols, such as the Overlay Management Protocol (OMP) (discussed in further detail below), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), etc. In some embodiments, the network controller device(s) 132 can operate as a route reflector. The network controller device(s) 132 can also coordinate secure connections between the edge network devices 142 in the data plane 140. For example, in some embodiments, the network controller device(s) 132 can distribute encryption key information between the network devices 142. This can enable the network to support secure network protocols or applications (e.g., Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Shell (SSH), etc.) without Internet Key Exchange (IKE) and enable scalability of the network. In some embodiments, the physical or virtual network controller device(s) 132 can be a combination of a network controller device and a network management device. The SD-WAN vSmart controller can operate as the network controller device(s) 132.

[0046] The data plane 140 can be responsible for forwarding packets based on decisions from the control plane 130. The data plane 140 can include edge network devices 142, which can be physical or virtual network devices. The edge network devices 142 can operate at the edge of various network environments of an organization (e.g., one or more data centers or hosting centers 150, campus networks 152, branch office networks 154, home office networks 154, etc.), or can operate in the cloud (e.g., Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), SaaS, and other cloud service provider networks). The edge network devices 142 can provide secure data plane connectivity between sites over one or more WAN transports, such as via one or more Internet transport networks 160 (e.g., Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable, etc.), MPLS networks 162 (or other private packet-switched networks (e.g., Metro Ethernet, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), etc.)), mobile networks 164 (e.g., 3G, 4G / LTE, 5G, etc.), or other WAN technologies (e.g., Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) or other fiber technologies; leased lines (e.g., Tl / E1, T3 / E3, etc.); Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or other dedicated circuit-switched networks; Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) or other satellite networks, etc.). The edge network devices 142 can be responsible for traffic forwarding, security, encryption, Quality of Service (QoS), and routing (e.g., BGP, OSPF, etc.), among other tasks. In some embodiments, the physical or virtual edge network devices 142 can be configured to operate as a vEdge router. The SD-WAN vEdge router can operate as the edge network devices 142.

[0047] Figure 2An example of a network topology 200 is shown for displaying various aspects of the network architecture 100. The network topology 200 can include a management network 202, a pair of network sites 204A and 204B (collectively, 204) (e.g., data center(s) 150, campus network(s) 152, branch office network(s) 154, home office network(s) 156, cloud service provider network(s), etc.), and a pair of Internet transport networks 160A and 160B (collectively, 160). The management network 202 can include one or more network orchestrator appliances 104, one or more network management devices 122, and one or more network controller devices 132. Although the management network 202 is shown as a single network in this example, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each element of the management network 202 can be distributed in any number of networks and / or co-located with the sites 204. In this example, each element of the management network 202 can be reached through the transport network 160A or 160B.

[0048] Each site can include one or more endpoints 206 connected to one or more site network devices 208. The endpoints 206 can include general purpose computing devices (e.g., servers, workstations, desktop computers, etc.), mobile computing devices (e.g., laptops, tablets, mobile phones, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., watches, glasses or other head-mounted displays (HMDs), ear devices, etc.), and the like. The endpoints 206 can also include Internet of Things (IoT) devices or appliances, such as agricultural devices (e.g., livestock tracking and management systems, irrigation appliances, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), etc.); networked automobiles and other vehicles; smart home sensors and appliances (e.g., alarm systems, security cameras, lighting, appliances, media players, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices, water and electricity meters, windows, automatic doors, doorbells, locks, etc.); office equipment (e.g., desk phones, copiers, fax machines, etc.); medical devices (e.g., pacemakers, biometric sensors, medical equipment, etc.); industrial equipment (e.g., robots, factory machinery, construction equipment, industrial sensors, etc.); retail equipment (e.g., vending machines, point-of-sale (POS) devices, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, etc.); smart city equipment (e.g., streetlights, parking meters, waste management sensors, etc.); transportation and logistics equipment (e.g., turnstiles, rental car trackers, navigation devices, inventory monitors, etc.); and the like.

[0049] Site network devices 208 can include physical or virtual switches, routers, and other network devices. Although in this embodiment, site 204A is shown to include a pair of site network devices, and site 204B is shown to include a single site network device, site network devices 208 can include any number of network devices in any network topology, including multi-tier (e.g., core tier, distribution tier, and access tier), spine-and-leaf, mesh, tree, bus, hub-and-spoke, and the like. For example, in some embodiments, one or more data center networks can implement a Cisco® Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) architecture and / or one or more campus networks can implement a Cisco® Software-Defined Access (SD-Access or SDA) architecture. Site network devices 208 can connect endpoints 206 to one or more edge network devices 142, which can be used to directly connect to transport networks 160. Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) architecture and / or one or more campus networks can implement a Cisco® Software-Defined Access (SD-Access or SDA) architecture. Site network devices 208 can connect endpoints 206 to one or more edge network devices 142, which can be used to directly connect to transport networks 160. Software-Defined Access (SD-Access or SDA) architecture. Site network devices 208 can connect endpoints 206 to one or more edge network devices 142, which can be used to directly connect to transport networks 160.

[0050] In some embodiments, “colors” can be used to identify individual WAN transport networks, and different colors can be assigned to different WAN transport networks (e.g., mpls, private 1, commercial internet, metro ethernet, lte, etc.). In this example, network topology 200 can use a color referred to as “commercial internet” for internet transport network 160A, and a color referred to as “public internet” for internet transport network 160B.

[0051] In some embodiments, each edge network device 208 can form a Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) or TLS control connection to network controller device(s) 132, and connect to any network control device 132 over each transport network 160. In some embodiments, edge network devices 142 can also securely connect to edge network devices in other sites via IPSec tunnels. In some embodiments, a BFD protocol can be used within each of these tunnels to detect loss, delay, jitter, and path failure.

[0052] On edge network devices 142, colors can be used to help identify or distinguish individual WAN transport tunnels (e.g., the same color should not be used twice on a single edge network device). The colors themselves can also be meaningful. For example, Metro Ethernet, mpls, and Private 1, Private 2, Private 3, Private 4, Private 5, and Private 6, etc. colors can be considered private colors, which can be used for private networks or where NAT addressing is not used for transport IP endpoints (e.g., because there can be no NAT between two endpoints of the same color). When edge network devices 142 use private colors, they can attempt to use local, private, underlay IP addresses to establish IPSec tunnels to other edge network devices. Public colors can include: 3g, Business, Internet, Blue, Bronze, Custom 1, Custom 2, Custom 3, Default, Gold, Green, lte, Public Internet, Red, and Silver. Public colors can be used by edge network devices 142 to establish tunnels to post-NAT IP addresses if NAT is involved. If edge network devices 142 use private colors and need NAT to communicate with other private colors, a bearer setting in the configuration can indicate whether edge network devices 142 are to use private IP addresses or public IP addresses. By using this setting, two private colors can establish a session when one or both of the private colors use NAT.

[0053] Figure 3 An example of a diagram 300 showing the operation of an OMP is shown, which can be used in some embodiments to manage the overlay of a network (e.g., network architecture 100). In this example, OMP messages 302A and 302B (collectively 302) can be transmitted back and forth between network controller device 132 and edge network devices 142A and 142B, respectively, where control plane information (e.g., routing prefixes, next-hop routes, encryption keys, policy information, etc.) can be exchanged over respective secure DTLS or TLS connections (304A and 304B). Network controller device 132 can operate similarly to a route reflector. For example, network controller device 132 can receive routes from edge network devices 142, process them, apply any policies to them, and publish the routes to other edge network devices 142 in the overlay. If there are no defined policies, edge network devices 142 can act in a manner similar to a full-mesh topology, where each edge network device 142 can be directly connected to another edge network device 142 at another site, and receive complete routing information from each site.

[0054] The OMP can publish three types of routes:

[0055] OMP routes, which may correspond to prefixes learned from the local site or service side of the edge network device 142. Prefixes may be generated as static or connected routes, or generated from protocols such as OSPF or BGP and redistributed into OMP so that they can be carried across the overlay. OMP routes may advertise attributes such as Transport Location (TLOC) information (which may be similar to a BGP next-hop IP address), and may advertise other attributes such as origin, originator, preference, site identifier, label, and virtual private network (VPN). If the TLOC to which the OMP route points is active, the OMP route may be placed in the forwarding table.

[0056] A TLOC route may correspond to a logical tunnel termination point on an edge network device 142 that is connected to the transport network 160. In some embodiments, a TLOC route may be uniquely identified and represented by a three-tuple that includes an IP address, a link color, and an encapsulation (e.g., Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), IPSec, etc.). In addition to the system IP address, color, and encapsulation, a TLOC route may also carry attributes such as the TLOC private and public IP addresses, bearer, preference, site identifier, label, and weight. In some embodiments, a TLOC may be active on a particular edge network device 142 when an active BFD session is associated with the TLOC.

[0057] Service routes, which can represent services (e.g., firewalls, distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigators, load balancers, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), intrusion detection systems (IDS), WAN optimizers, etc.) that can be connected to the local site of the edge network device 142 and can access other sites for service insertion. Additionally, these routes can include VPNs; VPN labels can be sent in the update type to tell the network controller device 132 which VPNs are served at the remote site.

[0058] exist Figure 3 In the example of FIG300 , OMP is shown running on a DTLS / TLS tunnel 304 established between an edge network device 142 and a network controller device 132. Furthermore, FIG300 shows an IPSec tunnel 306A established between TLOCs 308A and 308C via a WAN transport network 160A, and an IPSec tunnel 306B established between TLOCs 308B and TLOCs 308D via a WAN transport network 160B. Once IPSec tunnels 306A and 306B are established, BFD can be enabled on each of them.

[0059] Figure 4 An example of the diagram 400 is shown, which shows the operation of VPNs that, in some embodiments, can be used to provide segmentation for a network (e.g., the network architecture 100). VPNs can be isolated from each other and can have their own forwarding tables. Interfaces or sub-interfaces can be explicitly configured under a single VPN and can not belong to more than one VPN. A label can be used in OMP routing attributes and packet encapsulation, which can identify the VPN to which a packet belongs. VPN numbers can be four-byte integers with values from 0 to 65530. In some embodiments, the network orchestrator device(s) 104, the network management device(s) 122, the network controller device(s) 132, and / or the edge network device(s) 142 can each include a transport VPN 402 (e.g., VPN number 0) and a management VPN 404 (e.g., VPN number 512). The transport VPN 402 can include one or more physical or virtual network interfaces (e.g., the network interfaces 410A and 410B) that are connected to WAN transport networks (e.g., the MPLS network 162 and the Internet transport network 160), respectively. Secure DTLS / TLS connections can start from the transport VPN 402 that are connected to the network controller device(s) 132 or between the network controller device(s) 132 and the network orchestrator device(s) 104. In addition, static or default routes or dynamic routing protocols can be configured inside the transport VPN 402 for proper next-hop information so that the control plane 130 can be established and the IPSec tunnel 306 (not shown) can be connected to a remote site.

[0060] The management VPN 404 can carry out-of-band management traffic to and from the network orchestrator device(s) 104, the network management device(s) 122, the network controller device(s) 132, and / or the edge network device(s) 142 through the network interface 410C. In some embodiments, the management VPN 404 can not be carried in the overlay network.

[0061] In addition to transport VPN 402 and management VPN 404, network orchestrator device(s) 104, network management device(s) 122, network controller device(s) 132, or edge network device(s) 142 can also include one or more service-side VPNs 406. Service-side VPNs 406 can include one or more physical or virtual network interfaces (e.g., network interfaces 410D and 410E) that connect to one or more local site networks 412 and carry user data traffic. Service-side VPN(s) 406 can enable functionality such as OSPF or BGP, Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), QoS, traffic shaping, policing, etc. In some embodiments, user traffic can be directed through IPSec tunnels to other sites by re-distributing OMP routes received from network controller device(s) 132 at site 412 into the service-side VPN routing protocol. Conversely, routes from local site 412 can be published to other sites by publishing service VPN routes into the OMP routing protocol, which can be sent to network controller device(s) 132 and re-distributed to other edge network devices 142 in the network. Although network interfaces 410A-E (collectively 410) are shown as physical interfaces in this embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that interfaces 410 in the transport and service VPNs can also be replaced with sub-interfaces.

[0062] The system described above in Figures 1-4 is configured to allow networks and devices to accept or not accept a specified context according to their capabilities. Conversely, these networks and devices can publish their capabilities and tell the sender whether it will accept a specified context. The present technology allows network primitives (e.g., tunnels, VPNs, and prefixes) to define the capability to accept a specified context (e.g., security group tag). The network primitives can publish this capability, for example, through a dynamic routing extension, for example, an extension compatible with the Overlay Management Protocol (OMP). Thus, the sender can decide whether to send data with a specified context, such as a security group tag (SGT), to a remote that is relevant to the sender. In addition, it also allows the specified context to be sent from the source edge to the destination edge flexibly, while controlling the further propagation of the specified context to subsequent domains (e.g., by limiting the further propagation of the specified context to the domains).

[0063] For tunnel and VPN primitives, the ability to receive a specified context can be defined at the endpoint (TLOC) level and VPN level, respectively. For prefixes, the ability can be defined using prefix-maps and route-maps that apply to dynamic route extensions (e.g., OMP). Below are example triggers for network tunnels, VPNs, and prefixes that publish the ability to receive and process SGTs, respectively:

[0064] Based on Tunnel / TLOC:

[0065] sdwan

[0066] interface GigabitEthernet0 / 0 / 0

[0067] tunnel-interface

[0068] sgt-allow

[0069] Based on VPN:

[0070] sdwan

[0071] vrf1

[0072] address-family ipv4

[0073] Service sgt

[0074] Based on Prefix:

[0075] ip prdfix-list plist1 seq 10 permit 192.1.0.0 / 16 eq 16

[0076] route-map rmap1 permit 10

[0077] match ip address prefix-list plist1

[0078] Device capabilities (which can be hard-coded) are translated into tunnel protocols. In some embodiments, SGT capabilities can be handled by centralized controllers such as CISCO vSmart, which can propagate this information to source nodes throughout the domain fabric.

[0079] Dynamic route extensions can be used to publish the ability of a network primitive (per TLOC, or per VPN, or per overlay prefix). In the following objectives for each class of network primitive, the published capabilities can be programmed into the forwarding plane: tunnel next-hop, VPN, and prefix lookup result.

[0080] In some embodiments, the execution of network primitive capabilities can proceed in the order of tunnel, then VPN, then prefix. For example, if a tunnel supports context-based data routing and network service access, but a prefix does not, then a specified context can be sent to a destination edge, but not propagated beyond the destination edge. If a given network primitive does not support any cross-domain integration, then a dynamic route extension can refrain from bringing these publications to the source. This refraining can be due to a lack of capability in the tunnel, VPN, or prefix, or a combination.

[0081] In some embodiments, a list of prefixes can be maintained that lists prefixes that have the capability to receive a specified context. A routing graph can be applied to a given prefix in the list of prefixes, and the present technology can use the routing graph and the list of prefixes to determine whether the given prefix has the capability to receive the specified context.

[0082] In some embodiments, a network primitive can further control the propagation of data and specified contexts. This propagation can be limited to other nodes in a particular prefix, nodes in a network of the network primitive, or limited by other factors. In some embodiments, a network primitive can be in a different network than a source node that sends data that carries a specified context. When the network primitive is a particular prefix, the propagation can be limited to other nodes within the particular prefix, or the propagation can be limited based on characteristics of the particular prefix.

[0083] To illustrate a detailed example, the execution of capabilities of a VPN can take the following form:

[0084] EDGE-1

[0085] sdwan

[0086] vff 1

[0087] address-family ipv4

[0088] service sgt

[0089] vrf 10

[0090] address-family ipv4

[0091] service sgt

[0092] EDGE-2

[0093] sdwan

[0094] vrf 1

[0095] address-family ipv4

[0096] service sgt

[0097] EDGE-3

[0098] sdwan

[0099] vrf 10

[0100] address-family ipv4

[0101] service sgt

[0102] Once the edge's capabilities are defined, the dynamic routing extension based context capabilities related to VPN labels can be published:

[0103] EDGE-1 publishes to the centralized controller (vSmart):

[0104] {vrf: 1, attr: SGT, service-label: 11}

[0105] {vrf: 10, attr: SGT, service-label: 110)}

[0106] EDGE-2 publishes to the centralized controller (vSmart):

[0107] {vrf: 1, attr: SGT, service-label: 21}

[0108] EDGE-3 publishes to the centralized controller (vSmart):

[0109] {vrf: 10, attr: SGT, service-label: 310}

[0110] In the vSmart, the dynamic routing extension will publish the VPN context capabilities to the devices, rather than associating them with a prefix. This approach provides a way to implement context capabilities on the devices that are scalable, while also allowing independently configured prefix-based capabilities to be performed (note that the prefix-result, indirect-next-hop, and tunnel-next-hop in the data plane path have independent context allowed attributes).

[0111] The vSmart can publish as follows:

[0112] The vSmart publishes to EDGE-1:

[0113] {EDGE-2 / vrf: 1 / service-label: 21 / attr: sgt}

[0114] {EDGE-3 / vrf: 10 / service-label: 310 / attr: sgt}

[0115] vSmart publishes to EDGE-2:

[0116] {EDGE-1 / vrf: 1 / service-label: 11 / attr: sgt}

[0117] vSmart publishes to EDGE-3:

[0118] {EDGE-1 / vrf: 10 / service-labdl: 110 / attr: sgt}

[0119] CISCO packet processing (CPP) in the data plane can control virtual routing and forwarding (vrf):

[0120] Vrf: 1 EDGE-1 to EDGE-2:

[0121] prefix-lookup -> prefix-result / attr: sgt -> indirect-nexthop / service-label: 21 / attr: sgt -> tunnel-nexthop / attr: sgt

[0122] Vrf: 10 EDGE-1 to EDGE-3:

[0123] prefix-lookup -> prefix-result / attr: sgt -> indirect-nexthop / service-label: 310 / attr: sgt -> tunnel-nexthop / attr: sgt

[0124] Vrf: 1 EDGE-2 to EDGE-1:

[0125] preifix-lookup -> prefix-result / attr: sgt -> indirect-nexthop / service-label: 11 / attr: sgt -> tunnel-nexthop / attr: sgt

[0126] Vrf: 10 EDGE-3 to EDGE-1:

[0127] prefix-lookup->prefix-result / attr: sgt->indirect-next-hop / service-label: 110 / attr: sgt->tunnel-ndxthop / attr: sgt

[0128] Figure 5 An example diagram of a network environment according to an environment is shown. Edges can publish the ability to accept specified contexts and use that publication to influence communications with other devices and networks.

[0129] Edges 510-1, 510-2, and 510-3 can publish the ability to accept SGTs using OMP interfaces 520-1, 520-2, and 520-3, respectively. When the ability is published, the OMP interfaces 520 can propagate the publication of the ability through the domain via CISCO vSmart or another centralized controller. This allows all edges 510 to know which tunnels, VPNs, and prefixes have the ability to accept SGTs. The edges 510 can use CPP or another packet processor to control virtual routing and forwarding. In some embodiments, the edges 510 will have certain SGT capabilities as a device that will be translated and handled under a tunneling protocol.

[0130] In some embodiments, edge 510-2 can not have the ability to accept SGTs. Edge 510-2 can publish its ability to edge 510-1 via OMP transmitter 520-2. Edge 510-2 can control selective transmissions from edge 510-1 to edge 510-2 based on its published ability and whether transmissions from edge 510-1 contain SGTs.

[0131] Edge 510-2 can perform the ability of the tunnel next hop, VPN, and prefix in that order. For example, if the tunnel does not support the ability but the prefix does, then the SGT will not be sent to edge 510-2. If the tunnel supports SGTs and the prefix allows SGTs as a destination, then the SGT can be accepted by edge 510-2 but not propagated by edge 510-2.

[0132] The prefix ability can be defined in part using a routing map received from network 540-1 that is applied to OMP transmitter 520-2. A routing map is a list of routes accompanied by an allowance or denial to communicate along those routes. Evaluating a route against a routing map includes scanning the list of routes in a predetermined order and evaluating each matching statement for criteria. Once a first matching statement is found, the list scan is aborted and the action associated with that matching statement is performed. The routing map received by edge 510-2 from network 540-1 can list which interfaces can be used to communicate in network 540-1.

[0133] VPN 530 on edge 510-2 can individually publish its ability to receive SGTs to network 540-1, and vice versa. Networks 540-1 and 540-2 can be unstructured networks in communication with edges 510, which all exist in a given fabric.

[0134] Figure 6 An example method according to an embodiment is shown. A network primitive can define whether it is able to receive data bearing a specified context from one or more source nodes through an SDWAN fabric overlay, publish that definition, and subsequently receive appropriate data.

[0135] The method begins with defining (600) whether a network primitive in a network domain is able to receive data bearing a specified context from one or more source nodes through an SDWAN fabric overlay. In some embodiments, the network primitive can be a prefix, a virtual private network, or a network tunnel in the network domain, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 9, 1 12, 1 1 1, issued August 2, 2015, entitled "Method and System for Providing a Virtual Private Network," the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In some embodiments, the source nodes can be in a different network domain than the network primitive, where the domains are coupled through the SDWAN fabric overlay. In some embodiments, the specified context can be an SGT assigned to one or more source nodes. Figures 1-4

[0136] In some embodiments, the network primitive can be an edge node in a particular prefix in the network domain, configured to receive data through a particular tunnel in a particular VPN. In this case, the method determines whether the particular tunnel, the particular VPN, and the particular prefix are able to receive data bearing the specified context. In some embodiments, the order of precedence can be from tunnel to VPN to prefix. In some embodiments, whether the network primitive is able to receive data bearing the defined context can be determined based on a combination of the capabilities of the tunnel, the VPN, and the prefix.

[0137] In some embodiments, when the network primitive is a prefix, determining that the prefix has the ability to receive data having the specified context can involve using a prefix list that lists which prefixes have that ability. A routing graph can be applied to the prefix list, and the capabilities of the prefixes can be determined.

[0138] The ability of the network primitive is published (610) to the one or more source nodes through the SDWAN fabric overlay. The published ability is directly related to the network primitive's ability to receive data bearing the specified context.

[0139] ​The network primitive controls (620) selective transmission of data bearing the designated context from one or more source nodes based on the capabilities of the network primitive. In some embodiments, this occurs by the source nodes refraining from sending the designated context to network primitives that do not have the capability. In some embodiments, this occurs by the source nodes transmitting the designated context to network primitives that do have the capability. In some embodiments, when a packet contains information that the primitive does not have the capability to receive (e.g., based on the presence of the designated context in the data), the network primitive can not receive any portion of the data.

[0140] In some embodiments, the selective network primitive can include one or more of a network tunnel, a VPN, and a network prefix, such as edge 510 in FIG. 5. Selective transmission of the designated context can depend on any combination of the capabilities of the network tunnel, the VPN, and the network prefix, which can be determined individually. In some embodiments, the selective transmission of data bearing the designated context can be determined in order of priority with respect to the capabilities of the network tunnel, the VPN, and the prefix. In some embodiments, controlling selective transmission of data bearing the designated context to edge 510 can include refraining from transmitting data bearing the designated context to edge 510. This refraining can be due to the tunnel lacking the capability to receive data bearing the designated context, and can be performed without regard to whether the VPN and the prefix have the capability to receive data bearing the designated context. In other cases, this refraining can be due to the VPN lacking the capability to receive data bearing the designated context, and can be performed without regard to whether the prefix has the capability to receive data bearing the designated context. Figure 5

[0141] In some embodiments, the selective transmission can be device-based, where a network tunnel protocol is used to control the selective transmission.

[0142] In some embodiments, when the network primitive is a prefix, controlling the selective transmission can include sharing data bearing the designated context with other network primitives in the network domain. In some embodiments, when the network primitive is a prefix, controlling the selective transmission can include sharing data bearing the designated context with other nodes in the prefix according to characteristics of the prefix. Characteristics of the prefix can include that an edge node is a suitable destination to receive data bearing the designated context, other devices in the prefix, location, or other factors.

[0143] ​In some embodiments, controlling transmission can involve avoiding transmission of the data bearing the bearer designation context to the network primitive. In some embodiments, controlling transmission can involve receiving, by the network primitive, the data bearing the bearer designation context. In some embodiments, controlling transmission can involve propagating the data bearing the bearer designation context. The network primitive can propagate the data bearing the bearer designation context to other network primitives in the same network or other networks connected through an SDWAN overlay (which can be managed by an OMP). In some embodiments, the OMP itself can control transmission by updating forwarding tables of network primitives or via other means.

[0144] Figure 7 An example of a network device 700 (e.g., a switch, router, network device, etc.) is shown. The network device 700 can include a central processing unit (CPU) 702, an interface 704, and a bus 706 (e.g., a PCI bus). When acting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, the CPU 702 can be responsible for executing packet management, error detection, and / or routing functions of the network device 700. The CPU 702 preferably accomplishes all these functions under the control of software including an operating system and any appropriate applications software. The CPU 702 can include one or more processors 708 such as a processor from the Motorola series or MlPS microprocessor series. In alternative embodiments, the processor 708 can be specially designed hardware for controlling the operations of the network device 700. In embodiments, a memory 710 (e.g., non- volatile RAM and / or ROM) can also form part of the CPU 702. However, there are many different ways in which memory could be coupled to the system.

[0145] The interface 704 can be provided as interface cards (sometimes referred to as "line cards"), The interface 704 can control the sending and receiving of data packets on the network and sometimes supports other peripherals used with the network device 700. Among the interfaces that can be provided are Ethernet interfaces, frame relay interfaces, cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, token ring interfaces, and the like. In addition, various types of high speed interfaces can be provided such as fast token ring interfaces, wireless interfaces, Ethernet interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, ATM interfaces, HSSI interfaces, POS interfaces, FDDI interfaces, and the like. The interfaces 704 can include the appropriate physical connectors for communication with the appropriate media. In some instances, these interfaces 704 can also include independent processors coupled to their respective buses that perform some processing of the data packets before they are dispatched to the CPU 702. These independent processors can allow the CPU 702 to efficiently perform routing computations, network diagnostics, security functions, etc.

[0146] While Figure 7 The system shown in FIG. 6 is an example of a network device of an embodiment, but is by no means the only network device architecture on which the subject technology can be implemented. For example, an architecture having a single processor that handles both communication and routing computations and other network functions can also be used. Further, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with the network device 700.

[0147] Regardless of the network device's configuration, it can employ one or more memories or memory modules (including memory 710) configured to store program instructions and data for the general

[0148] Figure 8 An example of a bus computing system 800 is shown, in which the components of the system are in electrical communication with each other using a bus 805. The computing system 800 can include a processing unit (CPU or processor) 810 and a system bus 805 that couples various system components including the system memory, such as the read-only memory (ROM) 820 and random access memory (RAM) 825, to the processor 810. The computing system 800 can include a cache of high-speed memory directly connected to, in close proximity with, or integrated as part of the processor 810, a cache 812. The computing system 800 can copy data from the memory 815, ROM 820, RAM 825, and / or the storage device 830 to the cache 812 for quick access by the processor 810. In this way, the cache 812 can provide a performance boost that avoids processor delays while waiting for data. These and other modules can control the processor 810 to perform various actions. Other system memory 815 can also be used. The memory 815 can include multiple different types of memory with different performance characteristics, for example. The processor 810 can include any general purpose processor and a hardware module or software module, for example, module 1 832, module 2 834, and module 3 836 stored in the storage device 830, configured to control the processor 810, as well as specific processors (e.g., digital signal processors, microprocessors, reduced instruction set computers (RISC), etc.), with software instructions being incorporated into the processor design. The processor 810 can be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, and cache, among other elements. The multiple cores can be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0149] To enable user interaction with the computing system 800, an input device 845 can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch- sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and the like. An output device 835 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodal computing devices can enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with the computing system 800. The communications interface 840 can govern and manage the

[0150] The storage device 830 can be a non-transitory memory and can be a hard disk or other types of computer readable media which can store data that are accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memories, read only memories, and hybrids thereof.

[0151] As discussed above, the storage device 830 can include software modules 832, 834, 836 for controlling the processor 810. Other hardware or software modules are envisaged. The storage device 830 can be connected to the system bus 805. In some embodiments, a hardware module that performs a particular function can include the software component stored in a computer-readable medium that, in connection with the necessary hardware components, such as the processor 810, bus 805, output device 835, and so forth, carries out the function.

[0152] In summary, the present technology discloses methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable media for defining, for a network primitive in a network domain, whether the network primitive is capable of receiving, through a software-defined wide-area network (SDWAN) fabric stack, data from one or more source nodes bearing a specified context associated with the one or more source nodes; publishing a capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data bearing the specified context; and controlling selective transmission of the data bearing the specified context through the SDWAN fabric stack from the one or more source nodes to the network primitive based on the capability of the network primitive to receive the data bearing the specified context.

[0153] For clarity, in some instances, the present technology can be presented in terms of functional blocks, including functional blocks that represent devices, device components, steps of methods in software or combinations of software and hardware implementing the methods.

[0154] In some embodiments, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories can include cables or wireless signals containing bitstreams and the like. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

[0155] Methods according to the above-described examples can be implemented using computer-executable instructions, which are stored or otherwise available at computer-readable media. Such instructions can include, for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer resources used can be accessible via a network. The computer executable instructions can be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that can be used to store instructions, information used by the examples, and / or information created during performance of the examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, game cards, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, network storage, and the like.

[0156] Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprise hardware, firmware and / or software, and can take any of a variety of form factors. Some of these example form factors include: a general purpose computing device (e.g., a server, a rack-mounted device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, etc.), or a special purpose computing device (e.g., a mobile computing device, a game console, a virtual reality device, etc.). These devices can also take other form factors not specifically listed here. The functionality described herein can be embodied in entire devices, or such functionality can be distributed across two or more devices. For example, functionality described herein can be distributed across a plurality of servers, each server providing a portion of the functionality described herein.

[0157] Instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are means for providing the functionality described in these disclosures.

[0158] Although aspects within the scope of the appended claims are described with reference to various examples and other information, no particular aspect should be construed as necessarily limited to the specific features or arrangements described in the examples, as this would be contrary to the intended breadth of scope of the claims. Rather, the examples are intended to demonstrate various aspects of the disclosure, and to provide a description of some of the features and aspects of the disclosure that can be further developed by those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, although certain features or aspects of a subject matter can be described with reference to specific examples, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the features or aspects described in the examples. For example, such features or aspects can be distributed, arranged, or implemented differently than described in the examples. Rather, the described features and aspects are disclosed as examples of the components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for network communication, comprising: For a network primitive in a network domain, defining whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data carrying an associated specified context from one or more source nodes through a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) fabric stack; publishing a capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data carrying the specified context; determining a network primitive type of the network primitive from a configured list of options, the configured list of options including a network tunnel, a virtual private network, and a node in a specific prefix in the network domain; as well as Controlling selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network primitives through the SDWAN fabric stack based on a capability of the network primitives to receive the data carrying the specified context and a network primitive type of the network primitives.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The one or more source nodes are in a second network domain, which is coupled to the network domain containing the network primitives through the SDWAN fabric stack.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: For data transmitted to a network device associated with a virtual private network, a network tunnel, or a network prefix, selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context is controlled according to a priority order of whether the network tunnel has the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, whether the virtual private network has the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, and whether the network prefix has the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The network primitive is a node in a specific prefix in the network domain, and the method further comprises: maintaining a prefix list based on whether nodes in a plurality of different prefixes are capable of receiving the data carrying the specified context, the prefix list comprising a list of prefixes capable of receiving the data carrying the specified context; applying a routing map to the prefix list, the routing map including the network primitives and the one or more source nodes; and Based on applying the routing map to the prefix list, it is determined whether the data carrying the specified context can be received by the network primitive.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The network primitive shares the data carrying the specified context with other network primitives in the network domain.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The network primitive is an edge node in a specific prefix in the network domain, the edge node is configured to receive data through a specific tunnel in a specific virtual private network, and the method further includes: determining whether the specific tunnel has the capability of receiving the data carrying the specified context; determining whether the specific virtual private network has the capability of receiving the data carrying the specified context; determining whether the specific prefix has the capability of receiving the data carrying the specified context; and Based on whether the specific tunnel, the specific virtual private network, and the specific prefix have capabilities of receiving the data carrying the specific context, selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context to the edge node is controlled.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Controlling the selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context to the edge node also includes: regardless of whether the specific virtual private network and the specific prefix have the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, if the specific tunnel lacks the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, avoiding transmitting the data carrying the specified context to the edge node.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Controlling the selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context to the edge node also includes: regardless of whether the specific prefix has the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, if the specific virtual private network lacks the ability to receive the data carrying the specified context, avoiding transmitting the data carrying the specified context to the edge node.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Based on the characteristics of the specific prefix in receiving the data carrying the specified context, the propagation of the data carrying the specified context to other nodes within the specific prefix is ​​controlled.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The characteristics of the specific prefix in receiving the data carrying the specified context include: the edge node is a suitable destination for receiving the data carrying the specified context.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The SDWAN fabric stack is managed by the Overlay Management Protocol (OMP).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The OMP is configured to control selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network elements through the SDWAN fabric stack based on a capability of the network elements to receive the data carrying the specified context.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The OMP is configured to control selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context by updating one or more forwarding tables of the one or more source nodes based on a capability of the network primitives to receive the data carrying the specified context.

14. A system for network communication, comprising: one or more processors; as well as At least one computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: For a network primitive in a network domain, defining whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data carrying an associated specified context from one or more source nodes through a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) fabric stack; publishing a capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data carrying the specified context; determining a network primitive type for the network primitive from a configured list of options, the configured list of options including a network tunnel, a virtual private network, and a node in a specific prefix in the network domain; and Controlling selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network primitives through the SDWAN fabric stack based on a capability of the network primitives to receive the data carrying the specified context and a network primitive type of the network primitives.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein: The SDWAN fabric stack is managed by the Overlay Management Protocol (OMP).

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein when executed by a processor, the instructions cause the processor to perform operations comprising: For a network primitive in a network domain, defining whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data carrying an associated specified context from one or more source nodes through a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN) fabric stack; publishing a capability of the network primitive, the capability stating whether the network primitive is capable of receiving the data carrying the specified context; determining a network primitive type of the network primitive from a configured list of options, the configured list of options including a network tunnel, a virtual private network, and a node in a specific prefix in the network domain; as well as Controlling selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network primitives through the SDWAN fabric stack based on a capability of the network primitives to receive the data carrying the specified context and a network primitive type of the network primitives.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein: The SDWAN fabric stack is managed by the Overlay Management Protocol (OMP).

18. A device for network communication, comprising: A definition component is configured to define, for a network primitive in a network domain, whether the network primitive is capable of receiving data carrying an associated specified context from one or more source nodes via a software defined wide area network (SDWAN) fabric stack; a publishing component for publishing capabilities of the network primitive, the capabilities stating whether the network primitive can receive the data carrying the specified context; as well as a control component for determining a network primitive type of the network primitive from a configured list of options, the configured list of options comprising a network tunnel, a virtual private network, and a node in a specific prefix in the network domain; Controlling selective transmission of the data carrying the specified context from the one or more source nodes to the network primitives through the SDWAN fabric stack based on a capability of the network primitives to receive the data carrying the specified context and a network primitive type of the network primitives.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 further comprising: Assembly for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 2 to 13.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

21. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

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