Patent ID: 9742589
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method comprising: receiving a packet belonging to a service chain, which packet: (i) includes an original destination MAC (media access control) address, (ii) includes an original source MAC address, and (iii) is to be sent to a switch in a next hop, including a middlebox, in the service chain; in response to receipt of the packet, modifying the original destination MAC address of the packet into a modified destination MAC address corresponding to the middlebox in the next hop in the service chain; in response to receipt of the packet, modifying the original source MAC address of the packet into a modified source MAC address corresponding to code data encoded with state information of the packet; sending the packet to the middlebox in the next hop in the service chain; receiving the packet at the next hop in the service chain so that the next hop becomes a current hop in the service chain; in response to receipt of the packet at the current hop of the service chain, restoring the modified destination MAC address of the packet to the original destination MAC address of the packet; and in response to receipt of the packet at the current hop of the service chain, restoring the modified source MAC address of the packet to the original source MAC address of the packet wherein: