Virtual machine system and method of network communication between virtual machines

• US 20070140263A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsushima, Yuji, Mitome, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.530
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]

Abstract

A plurality of machine systems constituted by different VLAN constitution methods are integrated on one machine system by using virtual machines. An operation can be switched for virtual network interface cards to VLAN communication corresponding to VLAN ID set to a virtual network interface card or to VLAN communication corresponding to VLAN ID set by OS on a virtual machine using the virtual network interface card depending on whether or not VLAN ID is set.

Claims

1. A virtual machine system including a plurality of virtual machines constituted by a control program on a physical machine and virtual NIC (virtual network interface cards) for executing network communication between said plurality of virtual machines provided by said control program, said virtual machine system comprising:

means for setting VLAN ID to said virtual NIC from said control program;

means for managing said VLAN ID set to said virtual NIC;

means for managing VLAN ID set by OS on said virtual machine using said virtual NIC;

means for confirming VLAN ID set to virtual NIC transmitting a packet when said virtual NIC receives said packet; and

means for judging whether or not communication is possible between virtual NIC on the transmission side and virtual NIC on the reception side by using said VLAN ID set to said virtual NIC when said VLAN ID is set to said virtual NIC.

2. A virtual machine system as defined in claim 1, which further comprises means for judging whether or not communication is possible between virtual NIC on the transmission side and virtual NIC on the reception side by using VLAN ID set by OS on a virtual machine using said virtual NIC when said VLAN ID is not set to said virtual NIC.

3. A virtual machine system as defined in claim 1, which further comprises means for judging whether or not communication is possible between virtual NIC on the transmission side and virtual NIC on the reception side by using VLAN ID set to said virtual NIC when said VLAN ID is set to said virtual NIC and means for judging whether or not communication is possible between virtual NIC on the transmission side and virtual NIC on the reception side by using VLAN ID set by OS on a virtual machine using said virtual NIC when said VLAN ID is not set to said virtual NIC so that a virtual machine system constituting VLAN by using said VLAN ID set to said virtual NIC and a virtual machine system constituting VLAN by using VLAN ID set by said OS on said virtual machine using said virtual NIC can be simultaneously constituted.

4. A virtual machine system as defined in claim 1, which further comprises means for gaining access to physical NIC (physical network interface card) of said physical machine, means for transmitting a transmission packet from said physical NIC when a destination of said packet transmitted from said virtual NIC is directed to a network outside said virtual machine system, and means for allowing said virtual NIC to receive a reception packet when said physical NIC receives said packet directed to said virtual NIC from the network outside said virtual machine system, wherein said virtual NIC can communicate with the network outside said virtual machine system by said physical NIC while constituting VLAN.

5. A network communication method of a virtual machine system including a plurality of virtual machines constituted by a control program on a physical machine and virtual NIC (virtual network interface cards) for executing network communication between said plurality of virtual machines provided by said control program, said network communication method comprising the steps of:

setting VLAN ID to said virtual NIC by said control program;

or

setting VLAN ID by OS on a virtual machine using said virtual NIC;

executing VLAN communication between virtual NIC by using VLAN ID set when said VLAN ID is set to said virtual NIC; and

executing VLAN communication between virtual NIC by using VLAN ID set by said OS on said virtual machine when said VLAN ID is not set to said virtual NIC.

6. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 5, wherein said physical machine of said virtual machine system includes physical NIC (physical network interface cards), and which further comprises the steps of transmitting a transmission packet from said physical NIC when the destination of said transmission packet transmitted from said virtual NIC is addressed to a network outside said virtual machine system, and allowing said virtual NIC to receive a reception packet when said physical NIC receives a packet address to said virtual NIC from the network outside said virtual machine system.

7. A network communication method of a virtual machine system including a plurality of virtual machines constituted by a control program on a physical machine and virtual NIC (virtual network interface cards) for executing network communication between said plurality of virtual machines, provided by said control program in such a fashion as to correspond to each of said virtual machines, said method comprising the steps of:

preparing in advance a construction management table for storing construction information of each of said virtual NIC inclusive of an MAC address set to each virtual NIC;

causing guest OS of a transmission side virtual machine to send a transmission request of a transmission packet containing at least a destination MAC address and VLAN ID to virtual NIC of said transmission side virtual machine and causing said control program to judge at this time whether or not the destination MAC address of said transmission packet exists in said construction management table;

judging whether or not VLAN ID is set to transmission side virtual NIC by looking up said construction management table when the destination MAC address of said transmission packet exists in said construction management table;

reading out VLAN ID of the transmission side virtual NIC when VLAN ID is set to the transmission side NIC;

judging whether or not VLAN ID is set to reception side virtual NIC;

reading out VLAN ID of the reception side virtual NIC when VLAN ID is set to the reception side virtual NIC;

reporting packet reception to guest OS of the reception side virtual machine through the reception side virtual NIC when VLAN ID of the transmission side virtual NIC read out is coincident with VLAN ID of the reception side virtual NIC; and

allowing guest OS of said reception side virtual machine receiving the report to read the transmission packet arriving in guest OS of said transmission side virtual machine as a reception packet.

8. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 7, wherein said control program reads out VLAN ID inside said transmission packet when VLAN ID is not set to said transmission side virtual NIC, whether or not VLAN ID is set to said reception side virtual NIC by looking up said construction management table, VLAN ID of said reception side virtual NIC set is read out when VLAN ID is set to said reception side virtual NIC, packet reception is reported to guest OS of said reception side virtual machine through said reception side virtual NIC when VLAN ID inside said transmission packet read out is coincident with VLAN ID of said reception side virtual NIC, and guest OS of said reception side virtual machine receiving the report reads a transmission packet in guest OS of said transmission side virtual machine as a reception packet.

9. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 7, wherein said control program judges whether or not VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC is VLAN ID receivable by said reception side virtual NIC when VLAN ID is not set to said reception side virtual NIC, packet reception is reported to guest OS of said reception side virtual machine through said reception side virtual NIC when VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC is VLAN ID that can be received by said reception side virtual NIC, and guest OS of said reception side virtual machine receiving the report reads a transmission packet in guest OS of said transmission side virtual machine as a reception packet.

10. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 7, wherein said control program reports transmission completion to guest OS of said transmission side virtual machine when VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC is not coincident with VLAN ID of said reception side virtual NIC.

11. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 9, wherein said control program reports transmission completion to guest OS of said transmission side virtual machine when VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC is not VLAN ID that can be received by said reception side virtual NIC.

12. A network communication method of a virtual machine system as defined in claim 7, wherein physical NIC (physical network interface card) is prepared in advance, and said control program judges whether or not VLAN ID is set to said transmission side virtual NIC by looking up said construction management table when a destination MAC address of said transmission packet does not exist in said construction management table, reads out VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC set when VLAN ID is set to said transmission side virtual NIC, generates a VLAN tag field having VLAN ID of said transmission side virtual NIC read out as its value, adds said VLAN tag field to said transmission packet and transmits said transmission packet to the outside of said virtual machine system through said physical NIC.