CPC H04L 45/586 (2013.01) [H04L 45/04 (2013.01); H04L 45/306 (2013.01); H04L 45/54 (2013.01); H04L 12/4633 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. A method comprising:
storing a first configuration associated with a first virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) instance of a border node that is disposed between an enterprise network domain and an external network domain, the first VRF instance facilitating communications with a first service that is disposed in the external network domain, the first configuration indicating at least an identifier and a type associated with a second service where traffic is to be sent after the traffic is received from the first service, the first service and the second service being part of a service chain;
storing a second configuration associated with a second VRF instance of the border node, the second VRF instance facilitating communications with the second service of the service chain disposed in the external network domain, the second configuration indicating at least that the second service is a last service of the service chain;
receiving, by the border node via the first VRF instance and from the first service, a packet previously sent to the first service by the border node using the first VRF instance, wherein the packet received from the first service is decapsulated such that a header associated with the enterprise network domain is missing from the packet, the header indicative of a next hop for the packet;
based at least in part on the header missing from the packet, sending, by the border node and to a control plane device associated with the enterprise network domain, a request associated with determining the next hop, the request including the identifier and the type associated with the second service of the service chain;
based at least in part on receiving, at the border node and from the control plane device, an indication that the second VRF instance is to be used as the next hop to send the packet to the second service, forwarding the packet from the first VRF instance to the second VRF instance;
determining, by the border node and based at least in part on the second configuration, that the second service is the last service of the service chain; and
based at least in part on the second service being the last service of the service chain, forwarding, by the border node, the packet to a destination device subsequent to receiving the packet back from the second service.
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