Cloud interface for use of cloud services

• US 10,193,864 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Toy, Mehmet
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US14/860,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• 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 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses are disclosed for providing a user seamless access to cloud services made available by multiple different cloud providers. In some embodiments, a computing device may receive a request from a user to access a variety of cloud services. The computing device may retrieve cloud services from each of the cloud providers and cause display of a user interface that includes each of the cloud services from the different cloud providers so that the user interface is a uniform point of contact with the cloud providers. Further, in some embodiments, various interfaces, cloud service connections, and cloud service connection termination points may be defined.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user device; and

a cloud carrier device communicatively coupled to a first cloud provider, of a plurality of cloud providers, and to a second cloud provider, of the plurality of cloud providers and different from the first cloud provider;

wherein the cloud carrier device is communicatively coupled to the user device via a cloud service user interface associated with a physical layer comprising data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) attributes; and

wherein the cloud carrier device comprises;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cloud carrier device to;

coordinate access of cloud services of the first cloud provider and cloud services of the second cloud provider by the user device; and

relay communications between the cloud carrier device and at least one of the plurality of cloud providers; and

an interface associated with an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) virtual private network (VPN) attribute and an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) VPN attribute.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the interface is associated with metro Ethernet forum (MEF) external network-network interface (ENNI) service attributes, MEF ENNI layer 2 control protocol (L2CP) attributes for user network interface (UNI) tunnel access (UTA), and virtual network interface device (vNID) attributes.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface is associated with multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) user network interface (UNI) attributes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud service user interface is further associated with a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, a session layer, a presentation layer, and an application layer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the data link layer associated with the cloud service user interface comprises a metro Ethernet forum (MEF) user network interface (UNI) service attribute for Ethernet private services.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud carrier device comprises a second interface communicatively coupled to a virtual machine of the user device, wherein the virtual machine is generated by a cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers, and wherein the second interface is associated with a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, a session layer, a presentation layer, and an application layer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second interface is associated with identifiers of one or more virtual machines, a list of networks as a service employed by the one or more virtual machines, and a connection multiplexing attribute.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data link layer associated with the second interface comprises metro Ethernet forum (MEF) user network interface (UNI) service attributes for Ethernet private line (EPL), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet virtual private line (EVPL), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet private local access network (EP-LAN), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet virtual private local access network (EVP-LAN), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet private tree (EP-Tree), and MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet virtual private tree (EVP-Tree).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cloud carrier device to permit modification of service attributes only during a time interval beginning at a time at which a connection is established between the cloud carrier device and a cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cloud carrier device to:

authenticate user credentials of the cloud carrier device; and

after determining that the user credentials of the cloud carrier device are authentic,

send, to the first cloud provider, user credentials of the first cloud provider; and

send, to the second cloud provider, user credentials of the second cloud provider.

11. A system comprising:

a user device; and

a cloud carrier device communicatively coupled to a first cloud provider, of a plurality of cloud providers, and to a second cloud provider, of the plurality of cloud providers and different from the first cloud provide;

wherein the cloud carrier device is communicatively coupled to the user device via a cloud service user interface associated with a physical layer comprising data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) attributes; and

wherein the cloud carrier device comprises;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cloud carrier device to coordinate access of cloud services of the first cloud provider and cloud services of the second cloud provider by the user device; and

an interface communicatively coupled to a cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers, wherein the interface is associated with identifiers of one or more virtual machines, a list of networks as a service employed by the one or more virtual machines, and a connection multiplexing attribute.

12. The system of claim 11,

wherein the cloud service user interface is further associated with a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, a session layer, a presentation layer, and an application layer,

wherein the data link layer associated with the cloud service user interface comprises a metro Ethernet forum (MEF) user network interface (UNI) service attribute for Ethernet private services, MEF UNI layer 2 control protocol (L2CP) service attributes for UNI tunnel access (UTA), MEF UNI L2CP service attributes for virtual network interface device (vNID), a MEF UNI service attribute for Ethernet private line (EPL), a MEF UNI service attribute for Ethernet virtual private line (EVPL), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet private local access network (EP-LAN), UNI service attributes for Ethernet virtual private local access network (EVP-LAN), MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet private tree (EP-Tree), and MEF UNI service attributes for Ethernet virtual private tree (EVP-Tree).

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the cloud carrier device to permit modification of service attributes only during a time interval beginning at a time at which a connection is established between the cloud carrier device and a cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers.

14. The system of claim 13,

wherein the interface is associated with a data link layer comprising metro Ethernet forum (MEF) external network-network interface (ENNI) service attributes, MEF ENNI layer 2 control protocol (L2CP) attributes for user network interface (UNI) tunnel access (UTA), and virtual network interface device (vNID) attributes.

15. A method comprising:

coordinating, by a cloud carrier device with a user device, access of cloud services of a first cloud provider of a plurality of cloud providers, and access of cloud services of a second cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers, wherein the first cloud provider is different from the second cloud provider; and

relaying communications between the cloud carrier device and at least one of the plurality of cloud providers,

wherein the cloud carrier device is communicatively coupled to the user device via a cloud service user interface associated with a physical layer comprising data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) attributes; and

wherein the cloud carrier device comprises an interface associated with an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) virtual private network (VPN) attribute and an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) VPN attribute.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

permitting modification of service attributes only during a time interval beginning at a time at which a connection is established between the cloud carrier device and a cloud provider of the plurality of cloud providers.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

authenticating user credentials of the cloud carrier device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, after determining that the user credentials of the cloud carrier device are authentic:

sending, to the first cloud provider, user credentials of the first cloud provider; and

sending, to the second cloud provider, user credentials of the second cloud provider.