Hybrid packet processing

• US 10,033,640 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Ronghua, Koponen, Teemu, Casado, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US15/421,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20170142011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/33 using forward notification

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method of processing an incoming packet for a managed forwarding element that executes in a host to forward packets in a network. The method performs a lookup into a forwarding table to identify a flow entry matched by the incoming packet. The flow entry specifies a high-level action to perform on the incoming packet. The method provides packet data to a module executing separately from the managed forwarding element in the host. The module performs a set of processes in order to identify a set of low-level actions for the managed forwarding element to perform on the incoming packet without additional lookups into the forwarding table. The method receives data from the separate module specifying the set of low-level actions. The method performs the set of low-level actions on the incoming packet in order to further process the packet.

Claims

1. A method of processing packets for a managed forwarding element that executes in a single computing device to forward packets in a network, the method comprising:

at the single computing device, performing a lookup operation that searches entries in a forwarding table to identify an entry that matches a packet of a data flow, the identified entry specifying a high-level action that comprises outputting the packet to a logical egress port of a logical forwarding element;

providing the logical egress port to a module that executes separately from the managed forwarding element on the same single computing device as the managed forwarding element, wherein the module performs a set of processes in order to identify a set of low-level actions for the managed forwarding element to perform on the packet without additional lookups into the forwarding table;

receiving data from the separate module that specifies the set of low-level actions, the data comprising instructions to encapsulate the packet in a particular tunnel to which the logical egress port corresponds; and

performing the set of low-level actions on the packet in order to further process the packet at the single computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet is a first packet in the data flow.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising caching the set of low-level actions for use in processing subsequent packets in the data flow.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the separate module comprises a function executing as object code.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the high-level action specifies a call to the function, wherein the logical egress port is provided to the function as a parameter of the function call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet matches the identified entry based on one or more register values stored for the packet by the managed forwarding element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the module identifies the set of low-level actions based on data previously identified for the packet by the managed forwarding element.

8. A method of processing packets for a managed forwarding element that executes in a single computing device to forward packets in a network, the method comprising:

at the single computing device, performing (i) a logical forwarding operation to identify a logical egress port of a logical forwarding element and (ii) a subsequent lookup operation that searches entries in a forwarding table to identify an entry that matches a packet of a data flow, the identified entry specifying a high-level action that comprises outputting the packet to the logical egress port;

providing the logical egress port to a module that executes separately from the managed forwarding element on the same single computing device as the managed forwarding element, wherein the module performs a set of processes in order to identify a set of low-level actions for the managed forwarding element to perform on the packet without additional lookups into the forwarding table;

receiving data from the separate module that specifies the set of low-level actions; and

performing the set of low-level actions on the packet in order to further process the packet at the single computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the packet is a first packet in the data flow, the method further comprising caching the set of low-level actions for use in processing subsequent packets in the data flow without the use of the separate module.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the separate module is a function executing as object code, the high-level action specifies a call to the function, and the logical egress port is provided to the function as a parameter of the function call.

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a managed forwarding element which when executed by at least one processing unit of a host machine forwards packets in a network, the managed forwarding element comprising sets of instructions for:

performing a lookup operation that searches entries in a forwarding table to identify an entry that matches a packet of a data flow, the identified entry specifying a high-level action that comprises outputting the packet to a logical egress port of a logical forwarding element;

providing the logical egress port to a module that executes separately from the managed forwarding element on the same host machine as the managed forwarding element, wherein the module performs a set of processes in order to identify a set of low-level actions for the managed forwarding element to perform on the packet without additional lookups into the forwarding table;

receiving data from the separate module that specifies the set of low-level actions, the data comprising instructions to encapsulate the packet in a particular tunnel to which the logical egress port corresponds; and

performing the set of low-level actions on the packet in order to further process the packet.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the packet is a first packet in the data flow.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the managed forwarding element further comprises a set of instructions for caching the set of low-level actions for use in processing subsequent packets in the data flow without the use of the separate module.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the separate module comprises a function executing as object code.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the high-level action specifies a call to the function.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the packet matches the identified entry based on one or more register values stored for the packet by the managed forwarding element.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the module identifies the set of low-level actions based on data previously identified for the packet by the managed forwarding element.

18. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a managed forwarding element which when executed by at least one processing unit of a host machine forwards packets in a network, the managed forwarding element sets of instructions for:

performing (i) a logical forwarding to identify a logical egress port of a logical forwarding element and (ii) a subsequent lookup operation that searches entries in a forwarding table to identify an entry that matches a packet of a data flow, the identified entry specifying a high-level action that comprises outputting the packet to the logical egress port;

providing the logical egress port to a module that executes separately from the managed forwarding element on the same host machine as the managed forwarding element, wherein the module performs a set of processes in order to identify a set of low-level actions for the managed forwarding element to perform on the packet without additional lookups into the forwarding table;

receiving data from the separate module that specifies the set of low-level actions; and

performing the set of low-level actions on the packet in order to further process the packet.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the packet is a first packet in the data flow, wherein the managed forwarding element further comprises a set of instructions for caching the set of low-level actions for use in processing subsequent packets in the data flow without the use of the separate module.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the packet matches the identified entry based on one or more register values stored for the packet by the managed forwarding element.