System and method for improved service chaining

• US 10,187,306 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nainar, Nagendra Kumar, Pignataro, Carlos M., Guichard, James N., Quinn, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Will W
• Application Number:
  US15/080,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20170279712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 370216, 370252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer

Abstract

There is disclosed an apparatus having logic elements to: receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain; identify a next hop service function for the incoming packet as a non-reactive service function; create a duplicate packet; forward the duplicate packet to the non-reactive service function; and forward the incoming packet to a next reactive service function. There is also disclosed an apparatus having logic to: receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain (SFC), having a first service path identifier (SPI); determine that the incoming packet has a first service index (SI), and that a next-hop SI identifies a non-reactive service function (NRSF); receive a duplicate packet of the incoming packet; rewrite a service header of the duplicate packet to identify a second SFC having a second SPI, wherein the second SPI is different from the first SPI; and alter the first SI of the incoming packet to identify a next reactive service function in the first SFC.

Claims

1. A network computing apparatus, comprising:

one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, comprising a service chain engine to;

receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain;

identify a next hop service function for the incoming packet as a non-reactive service function;

create a duplicate packet with a rewritten network services header (NSH);

forward the duplicate packet to the non-reactive service function based on the rewritten NSH;

decrement a service index of the incoming packet; and

forward the incoming packet to a next service function, after the service index of the incoming packet has been decremented, if the next service function is identified as a reactive service function.

2. The network computing apparatus of claim 1, wherein forwarding the duplicate packet to the non-reactive service function comprises sending the incoming packet to a non-reactive service function chain.

3. The network computing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the non-reactive service function chain includes only a single service function.

4. The network computing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the single service function is followed by a “

drop”

action.

5. The network computing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the non-reactive service function chain includes a plurality of non-reactive service functions.

6. The network computing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of non-reactive service functions includes at least one service function that is locally reactive.

7. The network computing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of non-reactive service functions is followed by a “

drop”

action.

8. A network computing apparatus comprising:

one or more logic elements, including at least one hardware logic element, comprising a software-defined networking controller engine to;

receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain (SFC), having a first service path identifier (SPI);

determine that the incoming packet has a first service index (SI), and that a next-hop SI identifies a non-reactive service function (NRSF);

receive a duplicate packet of the incoming packet;

rewrite a service header of the duplicate packet to identify a second SFC having a second SPI, wherein the second SPI is different from the first SPI;

alter the first SI of the incoming packet to identify a next reactive service function in the first SFC;

determine that the incoming packet identifies a reactive service function; and

forward the incoming packet to the reactive service function.

9. The network computing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second SFC is a non-reactive service function chain (NRSFC).

10. The network computing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the NRSFC includes only a single service function.

11. The network computing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the single service function is followed by a “

drop”

action.

12. The network computing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the NRSFC includes a plurality of non-reactive service functions.

13. The network computing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of non-reactive service functions includes at least one service function that is locally reactive.

14. The network computing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the plurality of non-reactive service functions is followed by a “

drop”

action.

15. One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums having stored thereon executing instructions for providing a service chain engine to:

receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain;

identify a next hop service function for the incoming packet as a non-reactive service function;

create a duplicate packet with a rewritten network services header (NSH);

forward the duplicate packet to the non-reactive service function based on the rewritten NSH;

decrement a service index of the duplicate packet; and

forward the incoming packet to a next service function, after the service index of the incoming packet has been decremented, if the next service function is identified as a reactive service function.

16. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums of claim 15, wherein forwarding the duplicate packet to the non-reactive service function comprises sending the incoming packet to a non-reactive service function chain.

17. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums of claim 16, wherein the non-reactive service function chain includes only a single service function.

18. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums of claim 17, wherein the single service function is followed by a “

drop”

action.

19. One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable mediums having stored thereon executable instructions for providing a software-defined networking controller engine to:

receive an incoming packet associated with a first service function chain (SFC), having a first service path identifier (SPI);

determine that the incoming packet has a first service index (SI), and that a next-hop SI identifies a non-reactive service function (NRSF);

receive a duplicate packet of the incoming packet;

rewrite a service header of the duplicate packet to identify a second SFC having a second SPI, wherein the second SPI is different from the first SPI;

alter the first SI of the incoming packet;

determine that the incoming packet identifies a reactive service function; and

forward the incoming packet to the reactive service function.

20. The one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums of claim 19, wherein the second SFC is a non-reactive service function chain (NRSFC).