METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMICALLY DETERMINING CONNECTION ESTABLISHMENT MECHANISM BASED ON THE RELATIVE LOCATIONS

• US 20100017519A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Han, Zhu, Liang, Zhiyong, Shao, Ling, Zheng, Kai
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for dynamically determining a connection establishment mechanism between virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs. The apparatus includes a communication agent unit for receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs, a control unit for determining the connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages and a controlling mechanism to establish a connection between the VMs according to the determined connection establishment mechanism. The method includes receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs, determining the connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages, and establishing a connection between the VMs according to the determined connection establishment mechanism.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dynamically establishing a connection between plurality of virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs, comprising:

a communication agent unit for receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs; and

a control unit for (i) determining a connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages, and (ii) controlling the establishment of a connection between the VMs based upon the determined connection establishment mechanism, whereby the connection is dynamically established.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data multiplexer for attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection under the control of said control unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit further comprises:

a register table for recording information on each connection, wherein said information includes;

(i) the numbers of packets which have been transmitted and received; and

(ii) at least one of identifiers (IDs), IP addresses, and port numbers of the VMs on the two ends of the connection.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an offload engine unit for determining information required by one of the connection establishment mechanisms with a heuristic approach.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information required by the one of the connection establishment mechanisms comprises an initial sequence number and a sequential number;

wherein said initial sequence number is one of a hash value based on an network time protocol value, the IP address of a migrated VM and a default value; and

wherein said sequential number is the sum of the hash value and the number of the packets transmitted/received.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, said messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating whether the VMs are on a same physical host or on different physical hosts.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control unit determines:

a light weight protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on the same physical host; and

a TCP/IP protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on different physical hosts.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control unit executes a switch of the connection establishment mechanism when it determines that a different connection establishment mechanism should be adopted based on the received message.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control unit executes the switch by:

causing said data multiplexer to lock the data to be transmitted/received;

establishing a connection according to the determined different connection establishment mechanism;

causing said data multiplexer to unlock the data; and

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

10. A method for dynamically establishing a connection between virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs, comprising:

receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs;

determining a connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages; and

establishing a connection between the VMs according to said determined connection establishment mechanism, whereby the connection is dynamically established.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating whether the VMs are on a same physical host or on different physical hosts.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of determining the connection establishment mechanism between the VMs further comprises:

determining a light weight protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on the same physical host; and

determining a TCP/IP protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on different physical hosts.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

executing a switch of the connection establishment mechanism when it is determined that a different connection establishment mechanism should be adopted based on the received message.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said executing step comprises:

locking the data to be transmitted/received;

establishing a connection according to said different connection establishment mechanism;

unlocking the data; and

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of:

constructing a TCP/IP control block for the TCP/IP connection with a heuristic approach when the light weight protocol is switched to the TCP/IP protocol.