Advanced link tracking for virtual cluster switching

• US 10,419,276 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vobbilisetty, Suresh, Koganti, Phanidhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Diane L
• Application Number:
  US15/694,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20180013614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/555 Error detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes a port that couples to a server hosting a number of virtual machines. The switch also includes a link tracking module. During operation, the link tracking module determines that reachability to at least one end host coupled to a virtual cluster switch of which the switch is a member is disrupted. The link tracking module then determines that at least one virtual machine coupled to the port is affected by the disrupted reachability, and communicates to the server hosting the affected virtual machine about the disrupted reachability.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

one or more ports;

a link tracking module configured to;

detect a failure which affects reachability between the switch and a second switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier;

in response to determining that the failure affects reachability to an end host, identify a port via which the end host is reachable; and

use the identified port as an egress port for a notification message comprising information regarding the failure.

2. The switch of claim 1, in response to determining that the failure does not affect reachability to the end host, the link tracking module is further configured to determine that a routing update in the network of interconnected switches can resolve the failure.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein reachability to the end host affects reachability to a virtual machine hosted in the end host, and wherein the notification message is destined to a hypervisor running the virtual machine to allow the hypervisor to reconfigure the virtual machine.

4. The switch of claim 3, wherein the link tracking module is further configured to construct a second notification message comprising reachability information associated with the failure, wherein the second notification message is destined to a second hypervisor residing in a second end host.

5. The switch of claim 3, wherein the reachability to the virtual machine includes reachability between the virtual machine and a second virtual machine.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the link tracking module is further configured to monitor a link between the switch and the second switch for failure.

7. The switch of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulation module configured to encapsulate a packet with an encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the encapsulation header.

8. A method, comprising:

detecting a failure which affects reachability between a switch and a second switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier;

in response to determining that the failure affects reachability to an end host, identifying a port via which the end host is reachable; and

using the identified port as an egress port for a notification message comprising information regarding the failure.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in response to determining that the failure does not affect reachability to the end host, determining that a routing update in the network of interconnected switches can resolve the failure.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein reachability to the end host affects reachability to a virtual machine hosted in the end host, and wherein the notification message is destined to a hypervisor running the virtual machine to allow the hypervisor to reconfigure the virtual machine.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising constructing a second notification message comprising reachability information associated with the failure, wherein the second notification message is destined to a second hypervisor residing in a second end host.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the reachability to the virtual machine includes reachability between the virtual machine and a second virtual machine.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising monitoring a link between the switch and the second switch for failure.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising encapsulating a packet with an encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the encapsulation header.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

detecting a failure which affects reachability between a switch and a second switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier;

in response to determining that the failure affects reachability to an end host, identifying a port via which the end host is reachable; and

using the identified port as an egress port for a notification message comprising information regarding the failure,

wherein the notification message is destined to a hypervisor running a virtual machine to allow the hypervisor to reconfigure the virtual machine.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, in response to determining that the failure does not affect reachability to the end host, determining that a routing update in the network of interconnected switches can resolve the failure.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein reachability to the end host affects reachability to a virtual machine hosted in the end host, and wherein the notification message is destined to a hypervisor running the virtual machine to allow the hypervisor to reconfigure the virtual machine.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises constructing a second notification message comprising reachability information associated with the failure, wherein the second notification message is destined to a second hypervisor residing in a second end host.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises monitoring a link between the switch and the second switch for failure.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises encapsulating a packet with an encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the encapsulation header.