Link selection for communication with a service function cluster

• US 10,218,616 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nainar, Nagendra Kumar, Asati, Rajiv, Pignataro, Carlos M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US15/216,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20180026887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/0377 for service chaining
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for improving the reliability of service function (SF) application in a service function chain (SFC) are provided. In some aspects, the subject technology facilitates automatic service function type validation by a service function forwarder (SFF), for example, by using a probe configured query a function type of a SF module associated with the validating SFF.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a service function forwarder (SFF), a first packet comprising a first service function (SF) label;

referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label;

popping the first SF label from the first packet;

in response to the popping, inserting into the first packet a physical address associated with the first link; and

forwarding the packet to a service function cluster (SFC) via the first link, the SFC being at remote location from the SFF.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the referencing the label forwarding table to identify the first SF label further comprises:

comparing the first SF label to one or more label entries in the label forwarding table; and

determining a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the SFF, a second packet comprising a second SF label;

referencing the label forwarding table to identify a second link for the second SF label; and

forwarding the second packet to the SFC via the second link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the label forwarding table comprises a plurality of labels, and

wherein each of the plurality of labels is associated with at least one forwarding equivalence class (FEC).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each FEC specifies a physical link and a virtual machine instantiated on the SFC.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first link is a physical address of a destination virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an inoperable link in the SFC; and

the referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label being at least partially based on the identifying to thereby reroute the packet around the inoperable link.

8. A system comprising a service function forwarder (SFF) having a non-transitory computer readable memory and a processor configured to cooperate with instructions in memory to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the SFF, a first packet comprising a first service function (SF) label;

referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label;

popping the first SF label from the first packet;

in response to the popping, inserting into the first packet a physical address associated with the first link; and

forwarding the packet to a service function cluster (SFC) via the first link, the SFC being at remote location from the SFF.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the referencing the label forwarding table to identify the first SF label further comprises:

comparing the first SF label to one or more label entries in the label forwarding table; and

determining a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first link.

10. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

receiving, at the SFF, a second packet comprising a second SF label;

referencing the label forwarding table to identify a second link for the second SF label; and

forwarding the second packet to the SFC via the second link.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the label forwarding table comprises a plurality of labels, and

wherein each of the plurality of labels is associated with at least one forwarding equivalence class (FEC).

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each FEC specifies a physical link and a virtual machine instantiated on the SFC.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the first link is a physical address of a destination virtual machine.

14. The system of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

identifying an inoperable link in the SFC; and

the referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label being at least partially based on the identifying to thereby reroute the packet around the inoperable link.

15. A non-transitory computer readable media including instruction which when executed by a processor perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a service function forwarder (SFF), a first packet comprising a first service function (SF) label;

referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label;

popping the first SF label from the first packet; and

in response to the popping, inserting into the first packet a physical address associated with the first link; and

forwarding the packet to a service function cluster (SFC) via the first link, the SFC being at remote location from the SFF.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the referencing the label forwarding table to identify the first SF label further comprises:

comparing the first SF label to one or more label entries in the label forwarding table; and

determining a media access control (MAC) address associated with the first link.

17. The media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving, at the SFF, a second packet comprising a second SF label;

referencing the label forwarding table to identify a second link for the second SF label; and

forwarding the second packet to the SFC via the second link.

18. The media of claim 15, wherein the label forwarding table comprises a plurality of labels, and

wherein each of the plurality of labels is associated with at least one forwarding equivalence class (FEC).

19. The media of claim 15, wherein each FEC specifies a physical link and a virtual machine instantiated on the SFC.

20. The media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

identifying an inoperable link in the SFC; and

the referencing a label forwarding table to identify a first link for the first SF label being at least partially based on the identifying to thereby reroute the packet around the inoperable link.