Exploiting underlay network link redundancy for overlay networks

• US 10,412,005 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bao, Lei, He, Guo X., Rong, Liang, Tang, Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tacdiran, Andre
• Application Number:
  US15/280,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Embodiments disclose systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation for generating entropy values for packets in an overlay network. The operation generally includes generating a first entropy value for each packet in a first group of packets received in a sequence of packets from a host, and detecting an idle amount of time between the the first group of packets in the sequence of packets and a second group of packets in the sequence of packets received from the host. The operation also includes upon determining that the idle amount of time is greater than a first threshold, generating a second entropy value for each packet in the second group of packets. The operation further includes inserting the second entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, and transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

Claims

1. A method for generating entropy values for packets in an overlay network existing on top of an underlay network, comprising:

generating a first entropy value for each packet in a first group of packets received in a sequence of packets from a host;

detecting an idle amount of time between a first time when a last packet of the first group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host and a second time when an initial packet of a second group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host; and

upon determining that the idle amount of time is greater than a first threshold;

generating a second entropy value for each packet in the second group of packets,

wherein the second entropy value is different from the first entropy value;

inserting the second entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the second entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second entropy value is generated

upon determining that the idle amount of time is greater than the first threshold and

determining that a number of packets received in the first group of packets is above a second threshold.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the second threshold is based on a packet reordering rate determined for the first group of packets that does not reduce throughput of the sequence of packets.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first threshold is based on an amount of time determined for the first group of packets that avoids reordering of the sequence of packets.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein generating the second entropy value comprises:

selecting a hash function from a plurality of hash functions available for generating entropy values for the sequence of packets,

wherein the selected hash function is different from a hash function used to generate the first entropy value; and

generating a hash of inner header fields of each packet in the second group of packets, based on the selected hash function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that a number of bytes for the sequence of packets is above a size threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to determining that the idle amount of time is less than or equal to the first threshold:

inserting the first entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the first entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

8. A system, comprising:

a computer processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor, performs an operation for generating entropy values for packets in an overlay network existing on top of an underlay network, the operation comprising;

generating a first entropy value for each packet in a first group of packets received in a sequence of packets from a host;

detecting an idle amount of time between a first time when a last packet of the first group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host and a second time when an initial packet of a second group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host; and

upon determining that the idle amount of time is greater than a first threshold;

generating a second entropy value for each packet in the second group of packets,

wherein the second entropy value is different from the first entropy value;

inserting the second entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the second entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the second entropy value is generated upon determining

that the idle amount of time is greater than the first threshold and

that a number of packets received in the first group of packets is above a second threshold.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein the second threshold is based on a packet reordering rate determined for the first group of packets that does not reduce throughput of the sequence of packets.

11. The system of claim 8,

wherein the first threshold is based on an amount of time determined for the first group of packets that avoids reordering of the sequence of packets.

12. The system of claim 8,

wherein generating the second entropy value comprises:

selecting a hash function from a plurality of hash functions available for generating entropy values for the sequence of packets,

wherein the selected hash function is different from a hash function used to generate the first entropy value; and

generating a hash of inner header fields of each packet in the second group of packets, based on the selected hash function.

13. The system of claim 8, the operation further comprising determining that a number of bytes for the sequence of packets is above a size threshold.

14. The system of claim 8, the operation further comprising in response to determining that the idle amount of time is less than or equal to the first threshold:

inserting the first entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the first entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

15. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to perform an operation for generating entropy values for packets in an overlay network existing on top of an underlay network, the operation comprising;

generating a first entropy value for each packet in a first group of packets received in a sequence of packets from a host;

detecting an idle amount of time between a first time when a last packet of the first group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host and a second time when an initial packet of a second group of packets in the sequence of packets is received from the host; and

upon determining that the idle amount of time is greater than a first threshold;

generating a second entropy value for each packet in the second group of packets,

wherein the second entropy value is different from the first entropy value;

inserting the second entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the second entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.

16. The computer program product of claim 15,

wherein the second entropy value is generated upon determining

that the idle amount of time is greater than the first threshold and

that a number of packets received in the first group of packets is above a second threshold.

17. The computer program product of claim 16,

wherein the second threshold is based on a packet reordering rate determined for the first group of packets that does not reduce throughput of the sequence of packets.

18. The computer program product of claim 15,

wherein the first threshold is based on an amount of time determined for the first group of packets that avoids reordering of the sequence of packets.

19. The computer program product of claim 15,

wherein generating the second entropy value comprises:

selecting a hash function from a plurality of hash functions available for generating entropy values for the sequence of packets,

wherein the selected hash function is different from a hash function used to generate the first entropy value; and

generating a hash of inner header fields of each packet in the second group of packets, based on the selected hash function.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, the operation further comprising in response to determining that the idle amount of time is less than or equal to the first threshold:

inserting the first entropy value in an outer header of each packet in the second group of packets; and

after inserting the first entropy value in the outer header of each packet in the second group of packets, transmitting the second group of packets to the underlay network.