According to one aspect disclosed herein, a system can include a set of node peers, including a first subset implemented in software and a second subset implemented in hardware. The first subset can include a software node. The second subset can include a hardware node that includes a hardware cache, a processor, and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions. The hardware node can receive, from a network, a packet, and can determine if data that identifies a path associated with the packet is stored in the hardware cache. If not, the hardware node can query the software node to identify the path associated with the packet, and can receive, in response from the software node, the data that identifies the path, which then can be stored in the hardware cache. The hardware node can forward, along the path, the packet to a network element.