Accessing endpoints in logical networks and public cloud service providers native networks using a single network interface and a single routing table

• US 10,567,482 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ram, Shashank, Venugopal, Sairam, Lin, Yin, Kumar, Anand, Raju, Nithin Bangalore, Hira, Mukesh, Chandrashekhar, Ganesan, Agarwal, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Harry H
• Application Number:
  US15/686,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20190068689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/009 specially adapted for networks, e.g. wireless sensor networks, ad-hoc networks, RFID networks or cloud networks

Abstract

A physical host machine of a public cloud system includes a set of processing units for executing instructions stored in non-transitory machine readable media. The physical host machine also includes a physical network interface cars (PNIC) and a non-transitory machine readable medium that stores a data compute node (DCN). The DCN includes first and second applications, first and second logical interfaces, a network stack, and a managed forwarding element (MFE). The first application is connected to the pNIC through the network stack, the first logical interface, and the MFE. The second application is connected to the PNIC through the network stack, the second logical interface, and the MFE.

Claims

1. A physical host machine of a public cloud datacenter, the physical host machine comprising:

a set of processing units for executing instructions stored in non-transitory machine readable media;

a physical network interface card (PNIC); and

a non-transitory machine readable medium storing virtual machine (VM) that executes

(i) first and second applications,

(ii) a network stack that differentiates between traffic for a logical overlay network and traffic for a physical underlay network of the public cloud datacenter, and

(iii) a managed forwarding element (MFE) having first and second interfaces,

wherein the first application sends data messages through the PNIC to the logical overlay network by sending the data messages to the network stack, which routes the data messages from the first application to the first interface of the MFE,

wherein the second application sends data messages through the PNIC to the physical underlay network by sending the data messages to the network stack, which routes the data messages from the second application to the second interface of the MFE.

2. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the first application is a network management agent for configuring the MFE to implement a logical network, wherein the second application is an application of a tenant of the public cloud datacenter.

3. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the MFE executing on the VM connects to a software switch of the host machine that is configured and managed by a provider of the public cloud datacenter.

4. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the first interface is a virtual interface (VIF) and the second interface is a virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) for the overlay network.

5. The physical host machine of claim 4, wherein the host machine is a first host machine and the MFE executing on the VM is an instance of open vSwitch (OVS), wherein (i) other VMs operating on other host machines of the public cloud datacenter also execute instances of OVS and (ii) other instances of OVS execute in virtualization software of a set of host machines of a private datacenter, wherein the VM communicates with VMs executing on the set of host machines of the private datacenter.

6. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the MFE comprises (i) an integration bridge connected to the first interface and (ii) a transport bridge connected to the second interface and to the integration bridge.

7. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the public cloud datacenter does not allow access to a virtualization software of the host machine by the VM and the first and second applications.

8. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the public cloud datacenter does not provide more than one namespace to the VM.

9. The physical host machine of claim 1, wherein the host machine executes a virtualization software, wherein the VM executes a guest operating system that does not have access to the virtualization software of the host machine and does not provide multiple namespaces.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a virtual machine (VM) for execution by a processing unit of a physical host machine of a public cloud datacenter, the VM comprising:

first and second applications, a network stack that differentiates between traffic for a logical overlay network and traffic for a physical underlay network of the public cloud datacenter, and a managed forwarding element (MFE) having first and second interfaces;

wherein the first application sends data messages through a physical network interface card (PNIC) of the host machine to the logical overlay network by sending the data messages to the network stack, which routes the data messages from the first application to the first interface of the MFE,

wherein the second application sends data messages through the PNIC to the physical underlay network by sending the data messages to the network stack, which routes the data messages from the second application to the second interface of the MFE.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first application is a network management agent for configuring the MFE to implement a logical network, wherein the second application is an application of a tenant of the public cloud datacenter.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the MFE executing on the VM connects to a software switch of the host machine that is configured and managed by a provider of the public cloud datacenter.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first interface is a virtual interface (VIF) and the second interface is a virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) for the overlay network.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the MFE comprises (i) an integration bridge connected to the first interface and (ii) a transport bridge connected to the second interface and to the integration bridge.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the public cloud datacenter does not allow access to a virtualization software of the host machine by the VM and the first and second applications.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the host machine is a first host machine and the MFE executing on the VM is an instance of open vSwitch (OVS), wherein (i) other VMs operating on other host machines of the public cloud datacenter also execute instances of OVS and (ii) other instances of OVS execute in virtualization software of a set of host machines of a private datacenter, wherein the VM communicates with VMs executing on the set of host machines of the private datacenter.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the public cloud datacenter does not provide more than one namespace to the VM.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the host machine executes a virtualization software, wherein the VM executes a guest operating system that does not have access to the virtualization software of the host machine and does not provide multiple namespaces.