Installation of routing tables for logical router in route server mode

• US 10,153,973 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dubey, Ankur
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henson, Jamaal R
• Application Number:
  US15/197,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20180006943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for a network controller operating on a host machine that hosts a particular one of multiple centralized routing components for a logical router. The method receives a routing table from a routing protocol application operating on the host machine. Each of the other centralized routing components operates on a different host machine and implements a different interface of the logical router that connects to at least one physical router external to the logical network. The routing protocol application operates as a router server for all of the centralized routing components. For each of the other centralized routing components, the method identifies a set of routes in the routing table to distribute to the centralized routing component. The method sends the identified routes for each centralized routing component to the centralized routing component.

Claims

1. For a network controller operating on a particular host machine that hosts a particular centralized routing component of a plurality of centralized routing components for a logical router, a method comprising:

receiving a routing table from a routing protocol application executed by a set of hardware processors of the particular host machine, wherein each of the centralized routing components executes on a different host machine than the other centralized routing components and implements a different interface of the logical router that connects to at least one physical router external to the logical network, wherein the routing protocol application (i) executes on the particular host machine with the particular centralized routing component and (ii) for the centralized routing components, operates as a route server that implements a dynamic routing protocol to identify routes for data messages sent from inside the logical network to machines outside the logical network; and

for each other centralized routing component executing on another host machine,

identifying a particular set of routes in the routing table to distribute to the other centralized routing component; and

sending the identified set of routes to the other centralized routing component to use to forward data messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing protocol application is a particular routing protocol application, wherein at least one other routing protocol application executes on at least one other host machine on which another centralized routing component operates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular routing protocol application is a master routing protocol application that generates the routing table based on routing protocol packets received by the master routing protocol application, wherein the other routing protocol application is a standby routing protocol application that does not generate routing tables.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when the master routing protocol application or particular centralized routing component on the particular host machine fails, then the standby routing protocol application is elected to take over as the master routing protocol application.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a datapath of another centralized routing component executing on another host machine receives a routing protocol packet and forwards the routing protocol packet to a datapath of the particular centralized routing component on the particular host machine.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the datapath of the other centralized routing component classifies the routing protocol packet for less urgent processing than data traffic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first centralized routing component in the plurality of centralized routing components connects to a first external subnet and not a second external subnet, and a second centralized routing component in the plurality of centralized routing components connects to the second external subnet and not the first external subnet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network controller stores information indicating the subnets to which each of the centralized routing components connect.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the particular set of routes for the centralized routing components comprises identifying routes with next hops in the subnets to which the centralized routing component connects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein routes with next hops in subnets to which the first centralized routing component does not connect are not sent to the first centralized routing component.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic routing protocol implemented by the route server is one of Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

11. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a network controller application for execution by at least one hardware processing unit of a particular host machine that hosts a particular centralized routing component of a plurality of centralized routing components for a logical router, the network controller application comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a routing table from a routing protocol application executed by a set of hardware processors of the particular host machine, wherein each of the centralized routing components executes on a different host machine than the other centralized routing components and implements a different interface of the logical router that connects to at least one physical router external to the logical network, wherein the routing protocol application (i) executes on the particular host machine with the particular centralized routing component and (ii) for the centralized routing components, operates as a route server that implements a dynamic routing protocol to identify routes for data messages sent from inside the logical network to machines outside the logical network; and

for each other centralized routing component executing on another host machine,

identifying a particular set of routes in the routing table to distribute to the other centralized routing component; and

sending the identified set of routes to the other centralized routing component to use to forward data messages.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the routing protocol application is a particular routing protocol application, wherein at least one other routing protocol application executes on at least one other host machine on which another centralized routing component operates.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the particular routing protocol application is a master routing protocol application that generates the routing table based on routing protocol packets received by the master routing protocol application, wherein the other routing protocol application is a standby routing protocol application that does not generate routing tables.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein when the master routing protocol application or particular centralized routing component on the particular host machine fails, then the standby routing protocol application is elected to take over as the master routing protocol application.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein a datapath of another centralized routing component executing on another host machine receives a routing protocol packet and forwards the routing protocol packet to a datapath of the particular centralized routing component on the particular host machine.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the datapath of the other centralized routing component classifies the routing protocol packet for less urgent processing than data traffic.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein a first centralized routing component in the plurality of centralized routing components connects to a first external subnet and not a second external subnet, and a second centralized routing component in the plurality of centralized routing components connects to the second external subnet and not the first external subnet.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the network controller stores information indicating the subnets to which each of the centralized routing components connect.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the particular set of routes for the centralized routing components comprises a set of instructions for identifying routes with next hops in the subnets to which the centralized routing component connects.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein routes with next hops in subnets to which the first centralized routing component does not connect are not sent to the first centralized routing component.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the dynamic routing protocol implemented by the route server is one of Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).