Multi-domain interconnect

• US 10,193,708 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koponen, Teemu, Casado, Martin, Thakkar, Pankaj, Zhang, Ronghua, Wendlandt, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harley, Jason A
• Application Number:
  US13/757,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20130142203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 709223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing

Abstract

A network system that includes a first set of network hosts in a first domain and a second set of network hosts in a second domain. Within each of the domains, the system includes several edge switching elements (SEs) that each couple to the network hosts and forward network data to and from the set of network hosts. Within the first domain, the system includes (i) an interior SE that couples to a particular edge SE in order to receive network data for forwarding from the edge SE when the edge SE does not recognize a destination location of the network data and (ii) an interconnection SE that couples to the interior SE, the edge SE, and the second domain through an external network. When the edge SE receives network data with a destination address in the second domain, it forwards the network data directly to the interconnection SE.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a first set of machines executing on a first set of host computers in a first physical domain and a second set of machines executing on a second set of host computers in a second physical domain, the first set of machines connected by a first logical forwarding element and the second set of machines connected by a second logical forwarding element, wherein the first and second logical forwarding elements are logically connected;

within each physical domain, a plurality of edge forwarding elements executing on the respective sets of host computers, each edge forwarding element for (i) coupling to the respective sets of machines and (ii) forwarding network data to and from the set of machines according to logical forwarding rules of the respective logical forwarding element of the set of machines;

within the first physical domain, an interior forwarding element executing on a first particular host computer, the interior forwarding element for coupling to a set of the edge forwarding elements of the first physical domain in order to receive network data for forwarding from the set of edge forwarding elements according to the logical forwarding rules of the first logical forwarding element when the edge forwarding elements do not recognize a destination location for the network data; and

within the first physical domain, a first interconnection forwarding element executing on a second particular host computer, the interconnection forwarding element for coupling to (i) the interior forwarding element, (ii) the set of edge forwarding elements, and (iii) a second interconnection forwarding element located in the second physical domain through an external network,

wherein when an edge forwarding element in the first physical domain receives network data with a destination address corresponding to a machine in the second domain connected to the second logical forwarding element, the edge forwarding element forwards said network data to the first interconnection forwarding element based on the logical connection between the first and second logical forwarding elements.

2. The network control system of claim 1, wherein the edge forwarding elements comprise software forwarding elements.

3. The network control system of claim 2, wherein the machines comprise virtual machines, wherein a particular virtual machine operates on a same host computer as a particular software forwarding element.

4. The network system of claim 1 further comprising:

within the second physical domain, a second interior forwarding element executing on a third particular host computer, the second interior software forwarding element for coupling to a second set of the edge forwarding elements of the second physical domain in order to receive network data for forwarding from the second set of edge forwarding elements according to the logical forwarding rules of the second logical forwarding element when the second set of edge forwarding elements do not recognize a destination location of the network data; and

the second interconnection forwarding element for coupling to (i) the second interior forwarding element, (ii) the second set of edge forwarding elements, and (iii) the first interconnection switching element through the external network,

wherein when a second edge forwarding element in the second domain receives network data with a destination address corresponding to a machine in the first physical domain connected to the first logical forwarding element, the second edge forwarding element forwards said network data directly to the second interconnection forwarding element based on the logical connection between the first and second logical forwarding elements.

5. The network system of claim 1, wherein the first interconnection forwarding element and the second interconnection forwarding element connect via a tunnel through the external network.

6. The network system of claim 1, wherein the first and second interconnection forwarding elements are extenders.

7. The network system of claim 1, wherein the first interconnection forwarding element is one of a cluster of extenders.

8. The network system of claim 1, wherein the first physical domain and the second physical domain are located in different data centers, wherein the data centers are multi-tenant data centers and the first and second sets of machines belong to a same tenant.

9. The network system of claim 1 further comprising a set of network controllers for specifying the first logical forwarding element for implementation by the plurality of edge forwarding elements, the interior forwarding element, and the first interconnection forwarding element.

10. A method for forwarding network data between first and second managed networks, the method comprising:

at a managed edge forwarding element that implements at least a first logical forwarding element in the first managed network, receiving a packet from a machine that couples physically to the managed edge forwarding element and logically to the first logical forwarding element;

identifying that a destination of the received packet is located in a second managed network and couples logically to a second logical forwarding element, wherein first and second interconnection forwarding elements in the first and second managed networks implement a logical connection defined between the first and second logical forwarding elements; and

forwarding the packet to the destination in the second managed network by forwarding the packet from the managed edge forwarding element to the first interconnection forwarding element in the first managed network that couples to the second interconnection forwarding element located in the second managed network via a tunnel through an external unmanaged network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the managed edge forwarding element implements (i) the first logical forwarding element that connects a set of machines within the first managed network and (ii) a third logical forwarding element connecting the machines in the first managed network to machines in the second managed network that logically connect to the second logical forwarding element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein forwarding the packet to the first interconnection forwarding element comprises:

encapsulating the packet with a logical context identifying a destination port of the third logical forwarding element that corresponds to the packet destination in the second managed network; and

encapsulating the packet with a second logical context identifying a destination port of the first logical forwarding element that corresponds to the connection to the second logical forwarding element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein forwarding the packet to the first interconnection forwarding element further comprises sending the twice-encapsulated packet to the first interconnection forwarding element through a tunnel between the managed edge switching element and the interconnection switching element.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving a second packet, sent to the machine by a packet source located in the second managed network and logically connected to the second logical forwarding element, from the first interconnection forwarding element.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a second packet from the machine at the managed edge forwarding element;

identifying that the destination of the second packet is located in the first managed network and logically connected to the first logical forwarding element but that the managed edge forwarding element does not have a connection to a second managed edge forwarding element that couples to the destination of the second packet; and

automatically forwarding the second packet to an interior forwarding element for forwarding to the second managed edge forwarding element.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the machine is a first machine, the method further comprising:

receiving a second packet from a second machine at the managed edge forwarding element, wherein (i) the first and second machines are located on a same physical machine as the managed edge forwarding element and (ii) the second machine logically couples to a third logical forwarding element;

identifying that a destination of the second packet is located in a third managed network and couples logically to a fourth logical forwarding element, wherein the first interconnection forwarding element and a third interconnection forwarding element in the third managed network implement a logical connection defined between the third and fourth logical forwarding elements; and

forwarding the second packet to the destination in the third managed network by forwarding the packet from the edge managed forwarding element to the first interconnection forwarding element that couples to the third interconnection forwarding element located in the third managed network via a second tunnel through the external unmanaged network.

17. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a managed edge forwarding element which when executed by at least one hardware processing unit forwards network data between first and second managed networks, the managed edge forwarding element implementing at least a first logical forwarding element in a first managed network, the managed edge forwarding element comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a packet from a machine that couples physically to the managed edge forwarding element and logically to the first logical forwarding element;

identifying that a destination of the received packet is located in a second managed network and couples logically to a second logical forwarding element, wherein first and second interconnection forwarding elements in the first and second managed networks implement a logical connection defined between the first and second logical forwarding elements; and

forwarding the packet to the destination in the second managed network by forwarding the packet from the managed edge forwarding element to the first interconnection forwarding element in the first managed network that couples to the second interconnection forwarding element located in the second managed network via a tunnel through an external unmanaged network.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the managed edge forwarding element further comprises a set of instructions for receiving a second packet, sent to the machine by a packet source located in the second managed network and logically connected to the second logical forwarding element, from the first interconnection forwarding element.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the managed edge forwarding element further comprises sets of instructions for:

receiving a second packet from the machine;

identifying that the destination of the second packet is located in the first managed network and logically connected to the first logical forwarding element but that the managed edge forwarding element does not have a connection to a second managed edge forwarding element that couples to the destination of the second packet; and

automatically forwarding the second packet to an interior forwarding element for forwarding to the second managed edge forwarding element.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the machine is a first machine, the managed edge forwarding element further comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a second packet from a second machine at the managed edge forwarding element, wherein (i) the first and second machines are located on a same physical machine as the managed edge forwarding element and (ii) the second machine logically couples to a third logical forwarding element;

identifying that a destination of the second packet is located in a third managed network and couples logically to a fourth logical forwarding element, wherein the first interconnection forwarding element and a third interconnection forwarding element in the third managed network implement a logical connection defined between the third and fourth logical forwarding elements; and

forwarding the second packet to the destination in the third managed network by forwarding the packet from the edge managed forwarding element to the first interconnection forwarding element that couples to the third interconnection forwarding element located in the third managed network via a second tunnel through the external unmanaged network.