Distributed processing of network device tasks

• US 10,031,782 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Obstfeld, Joel, Ward, David, Barth, Colby, Lin, Mu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Ronak
• Application Number:
  US13/533,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 709202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities

Abstract

Techniques are described for distributing network device tasks across virtual machines executing in a computing cloud. A network device includes a network interface to send and receive messages, a routing unit comprising one or more processors configured to execute a version of a network operating system, and a virtual machine agent. The virtual machine agent is configured to identify a virtual machine executing at a computing cloud communicatively coupled to the network device, wherein the identified virtual machine executes an instance of the version of the network operating system, to send, using the at least one network interface and to the virtual machine, a request to perform a task, and to receive, using the at least one network interface and from the virtual machine, a task response that includes a result of performing the task. The routing unit is configured to update the network device based on the result.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing, by a router, a version of a network operating system;

identifying, with a virtual machine agent executing at the router, a first virtual machine executing at a computing cloud communicatively coupled to the router, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first instance of the version of the network operating system;

sending, with the virtual machine agent and to the first virtual machine, a request to perform a first task, wherein the first task is for a first logical segment of a network;

receiving, with the virtual machine agent and from the first virtual machine, a first task response that includes a result of performing the first task;

identifying, with the virtual machine agent executing at the router, a second virtual machine executing at the computing cloud, wherein the second virtual machine executes a second instance of the version of the network operating system, and wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are different virtual machines;

sending, with the virtual machine agent and to the second virtual machine, a request to perform a second task, wherein the second task is for a second logical segment of the network;

receiving, with the virtual machine agent and from the second virtual machine, a second task response that includes a result of performing the second task; and

updating, based on the result included in the first task response and the result included in the second task response, the router.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first task is a first subtask of a third task, and wherein the second task is a second subtask of the third task.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first task is associated with a routing protocol executing at the router, and wherein the routing protocol is one of open shortest path first, spanning tree protocol, border gateway protocol, intermediate system to intermediate system protocol, and virtual private local area network service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the router comprises updating at least one of configuration information, forwarding information, and routing information stored at the router.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are each one of a plurality of virtual machines executing at the computing cloud, and wherein at least a subset of the plurality of virtual machines is configured to execute one or more of a routing protocol, an interface control process, a management process, and a chassis process.

3. A method comprising:

executing, by a router, a version of a network operating system;

sending, with the virtual machine agent executing at the router and to a virtual machine manager, a request for computing resources, wherein the request includes an indication of the version of the network operating system and an indication of a task to be performed;

receiving, with the virtual machine agent, from the virtual machine manager, a response that includes an indication of a socket by which the virtual machine is reachable;

sending, with the virtual machine agent and to the virtual machine using the socket, a request to perform a task;

receiving, with the virtual machine agent and from the virtual machine using the socket, a task response that includes a result of performing the task; and

updating, based on the result included in the task response, the router.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request for computing resources is a second request, wherein the response is a second response, and wherein identifying the virtual machine comprises:

prior to sending the second request for computing resources, sending, with the virtual machine agent and to the virtual machine manager, a first request for computing resources to determine whether the computing cloud has computing resources available to perform the task;

receiving, with the virtual machine agent, a first response indicating whether the computing cloud has available computing resources; and

determining, with the virtual machine agent and based on the first response, whether the computing cloud has available computing resources,

wherein the second request for computing resources is sent to the virtual machine manager in response to determining that the computing cloud has available computing resources.

8. A router comprising:

at least one network interface configured to send and receive messages;

a routing unit comprising one or more processors configured to execute a version of a network operating system; and

a virtual machine agent configured to;

identify a first virtual machine executing at a computing cloud communicatively coupled to the router, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first instance of the version of the network operating system;

send, using the at least one network interface and to the first virtual machine, a request to perform a first task, wherein the first task is for a first logical segment of a network;

receive, using the at least one network interface and from the first virtual machine, a first task response that includes a result of performing the first task;

identify a second virtual machine executing at the computing cloud, wherein the second virtual machine executes a second instance of the version of the network operating system, and wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are different virtual machines;

send, using the at least one network interface and to the second virtual machine, a request to perform a second task, wherein the second task is for a second logical segment of the network; and

receive, using the at least one network interface and from the second virtual machine, a second task response that includes a result of performing the second task,

wherein the routing unit is configured to update the router based on the result included in the first task response and the result included in the second task response.

9. The router of claim 8, wherein the first task is a first portion of a third task, and wherein the second task is a second portion of the third task.

12. The router of claim 8, wherein at least the first task is associated with a routing protocol executing at the routing unit, and wherein the routing protocol is one of open shortest path first, spanning tree protocol, border gateway protocol, intermediate system to intermediate system protocol, virtual private local area network service, and resource reservation protocol.

13. The router of claim 8, wherein the routing unit further comprises:

a memory configured to store at least one of configuration information, forwarding information, and routing information,

wherein the routing unit updates at least one of the configuration information, the forwarding information, and the routing information based on the result included in one or more of the first task response and the second task response.

14. The router of claim 8, wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are each one of a plurality of virtual machines executing at the computing cloud, and wherein at least a subset of the plurality of virtual machines is configured to execute one or more of a routing protocol, an interface control process, a management process, and a chassis process.

10. A router comprising:

a routing unit comprising one or more processors configured to execute a version of a network operating system; and

a virtual machine agent configured to;

send a request for computing resources to a virtual machine manager, wherein the request includes an indication of the version of the network operating system and an indication of a task to be performed;

receive a response from the virtual machine manager, wherein the response includes an indication of a socket by which the virtual machine is reachable;

send, to the virtual machine and using the socket, a request to perform a task;

receive, from the virtual machine and using the socket, a task response that includes a result of performing the task; and

update, based on the result included in the task response, the router.

11. The router of claim 10,

wherein the request for computing resources is a second request,

wherein the response is a second response, and

wherein the virtual machine agent is configured to, prior to sending the second request for computing resources, send a first request for computing resources to the virtual machine manager to determine whether a computing cloud has available computing resources to perform the task, to receive a first response indicating whether the computing cloud has available computing resources, to determine whether the computing cloud has available resources based on the first response, and, in response to determining that the computing cloud has available computing resources, to send the second request for computing resources to the virtual machine manager.

15. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that cause one or more processors of a router to:

execute a version of a network operation system;

identify a first virtual machine executing at a computing cloud communicatively coupled to the router, wherein the first virtual machine executes a first instance of the version of the network operating system;

send, to the first virtual machine, a request to perform a first task, wherein the first task is for a first logical segment of a network;

receive, from the first virtual machine, a first task response that includes a result of performing the first task;

identify a second virtual machine executing at the computing cloud, wherein the second virtual machine executes a second instance of the version of the network operating system, and wherein the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine are different virtual machines;

send, to the second virtual machine, a request to perform a second task, wherein the second task is for a second logical segment of the network;

receive, from the second virtual machine, a second task response that includes a result of performing the second task; and

update, based on the result included in the first task response and the result included in the second task response, the router.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein at least the first task is associated with a routing protocol executing at the router, and wherein the routing protocol is one of open shortest path first, spanning tree protocol, border gateway protocol, intermediate system to intermediate system protocol, and virtual private local area network service.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first task is a first subtask of a third task, and wherein the second task is a second subtask of the third task.