Network Virtualization

• US 20070280243A1
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dalton, Christopher, Wray, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,770 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling

Abstract

A virtual network has virtual machines on physical devices connected to network interfaces each coupled by tunnels (100) through a forwarding network (40), each interface having a forwarding address in an address space of the forwarding network, each network interface having a reconfigurable address mapper (320) for determining a forwarding address for a packet, and encapsulating the packet with its forwarding address so that the forwarding network can deliver the data packet to the remote physical device having that forwarding address. Such encapsulation enables virtual machines on different physical devices to communicate transparently to the underlying forwarding network. Virtual networks can be created to suit their applications yet use or share existing forwarding networks, while protecting the forwarding network from interference by the virtual machines, and maintaining isolation between virtual machines.

Claims

1. A network interface for a first physical device for sending a data packet from a local virtual machine on the first physical device to at least one other virtual machine on at least one remote physical device, coupled by a forwarding network, the data packets having a destination address of the other virtual machine in an address space of a virtual network, independent of an address space of the forwarding network, the network interface having a connection to each of the local virtual machines, and an address mapper arranged to determine a corresponding forwarding address in an address space of the forwarding network, using the destination address of each data packet, and the interface being arranged to encapsulate the data packet with the forwarding address so that the forwarding network can deliver the data packet to the remote physical device having that forwarding address.

2. The network interface of claim 1, the address mapper being arranged to determine the corresponding address locally without reference to a remote centralised map.

3. The network interface of claim 1 the address mapper having a stored mapping of addresses for determining the corresponding address.

4. The network interface of claim 1, for use with multiple virtual networks, the address mapper being arranged to determine the corresponding address according to which virtual network the data packet belongs to.

5. The network interface of claim 1, for use with multiple local virtual machines, and arranged to receive inbound encapsulated packets from the forwarding network and use the destination address of the packets to route each packet to the correct one of the local virtual machines.

6. The network interface of claim 3, for use with multiple virtual networks, the stored mapping having an input for an identifier of the virtual network.

7. The network interface of claim 1, arranged for use with multiple virtual networks, and arranged to encapsulate the data packet with an indication of which of the virtual networks the data packet belongs to.

8. The network interface of claim 1, arranged such that the virtual machines are unaware of the forwarding addresses.

9. The network interface of claim 1, arranged for use with multiple virtual networks, and arranged to determine which of the multiple virtual networks the data packet belongs to without reference to the virtual machines.

10. The network interface of claim 1, arranged to set a source address of the data packet without reference to the local virtual machine.

11. The network interface of claim 1, arranged to intercept all the data packets sent by the local virtual machine.

12. The network interface of claim 1, and using an operating system to provide a bridge from each of the local virtual machines to the interface.

13. The network interface of claim 1, the virtual network using a network standard according to ISO layer 2.

14. The network interface of claim 1, the forwarding network using a network standard according to ISO layer 3.

15. The network interface of claim 1, being arranged to configure the stored mapping by sending a discovery request over the forwarding network.

16. A computer network having a first physical server arranged to run the interface of claim 1, and a second physical server coupled to the first physical server by a physical link, and arranged to run a remote interface, the forwarding network being arranged to use the physical link.

17. A method of sending a data packet across a virtual network from a local virtual machine on a first physical device to at least one other virtual machine on at least one remote physical device, coupled by a forwarding network, the data packet having a destination address of the other virtual machine in an address space of the virtual network, independent of an address space of the forwarding network, the method having the steps of determining a corresponding forwarding address in an address space of the forwarding network, using the destination address of each data packet, encapsulating the data packet with the forwarding address and sending the encapsulated data packet over the forwarding network for delivery to the remote physical device having that forwarding address.

18. A computer network comprising at least a first and second physical server, a plurality of virtual machines running on the first and second physical servers whereby at least one of the virtual machines runs on the first physical server and at least another one of the virtual machines runs on the second physical server, wherein the virtual machines are adapted to exchange information over a virtual network segment on which arbitrary IP and MAC addresses can be used.

19. A computer network as claimed in claim 18, comprising a plurality of virtual network segments, wherein at least one virtual machine is homed on more than one virtual network segment.

20. A computer network as claimed in claim 19, wherein the at least one virtual machine implements a virtual firewall.