APPLICATION DELIVERY CONTROL MODULE FOR VIRTUAL NETWORK SWITCH

• US 20100131636A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: CHILKOTI, Harish, SURI, Salil
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/76 Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering

Abstract

A virtualized platform includes a virtual switch connected to the virtual network interface cards (vNICs) for a group of virtual machines running the same application program that is associated with multiple software ports. A module in the virtualized platform monitors the virtual switch'"'"'s receipt of a network packet that includes control information relating to the application program and its software ports. The module applies a load balancing algorithm to select a vNIC from the vNICs connected or connectable to the virtual switch, based on the rate of processing of previous network packets by each the vNICs (e.g., as measured by the size of a network packet queue). The module might also apply the load balancing algorithm to select a software port for the application. The module then causes the virtual switch to route the network packet to the selected vNIC and software port.

Claims

1. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by a processor and when executed operable to:

monitor a receipt by a virtual network switch of a network packet including control information relating to an application program and a software port associated with the application program, wherein the virtual network switch is connected or capable of being connected to one or more virtual network interface cards in one or more virtual machines and wherein the application program is associated with one or more software ports;

select a connected virtual network interface card and a software port for the application program based on a load balancing algorithm, wherein the load balancing algorithm depends at least in part on one or both of a rate of processing of network packets by the one or more virtual network interface cards and the rate of processing of network packets by the one or more software ports; and

cause the virtual network switch to route the network packet to the selected virtual network interface card and the selected software port.

2. The encoded logic of claim 1, further comprising encoded logic to launch a virtual machine running the application program and connect a virtual network interface card associated with the virtual machine to the virtual network switch, if the virtual machine is not already running when the virtual network interface card is selected by the load balancing algorithm.

3. The encoded logic of claim 1, further comprising encoded logic to launch the application program in a virtual machine associated with a virtual network interface card connected to the virtual switch, if the application program is not already running when a software port associated with the launched application program is selected by the load balancing algorithm.

4. The encoded logic of claim 1, further comprising encoded logic to monitor and report on health metrics for the one or more virtual network interface cards connected to the virtual switch, wherein the health metrics include measures of performance and availability.

5. The encoded logic of claim 1, further comprising encoded logic to monitor and report on health metrics for the one or more software ports for the application program, wherein the health metrics include measures of performance and availability.

6. The encoded logic of claim 1, wherein the rate of processing of network packets depends at least in part on the size of a queue of network packets maintained in memory.

7. The encoded logic of claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual machines are running the same application program.

8. The encoded logic of claim 7, wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of Internet server programs and database server programs.

9. The encoded logic of claim 1, wherein the one or more virtual network interface cards are associated with the same virtual machine.

10. The encoded logic of claim 1, wherein the load balancing algorithm is a dynamic feedback load balancing algorithm.

11. The encoded logic of claim 1, wherein the load balancing algorithm depends at least in part on configured user preferences.

12. A method, performed by a processor, comprising:

monitoring a receipt by a virtual network switch of a network packet including control information relating to an application program and a software port associated with the application program, wherein the virtual network switch is connected or capable of being connected to one or more virtual network interface cards in one or more virtual machines and wherein the application program is associated with one or more software ports;

selecting a connected virtual network interface card and a software port for the application program based at least in part on a load balancing algorithm, wherein the load balancing algorithm depends at least in part on one or both of a rate of processing of network packets by the one or more virtual network interface cards and the rate of processing of network packets by the one or more software ports; and

causing the virtual network switch to route the network packet to the selected virtual network interface card and the selected software port.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of launching a virtual machine running the application program and connecting a virtual network interface card associated with the virtual machine to the virtual network switch, if the virtual machine is not already running when the virtual network interface card is selected by the load balancing algorithm.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of launching the application program in a virtual machine associated with a virtual network interface card connected to the virtual switch, if the application program is not already running when a software port associated with the launched application program is selected by the load balancing algorithm.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of monitoring and reporting on health metrics for the one or more virtual network interface cards connected to the virtual switch, wherein the health metrics include measures of performance and availability.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising an operation of monitoring and reporting on health metrics for the one or more software ports for the application program, wherein the health metrics include measures of performance and availability.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the rate of processing of network packets depends at least in part on the size of a queue of network packets maintained in memory.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more virtual machines are running the same application program.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more virtual network interface cards are associated with the same virtual machine.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the load balancing algorithm is a dynamic feedback load balancing algorithm.

21. Software encoded in one or more computer-readable media for execution by a processor and when executed operable to:

receive a plurality of network packets destined for an application program running on a plurality of virtual machines, each of which is connected to a distributed virtual switch by a virtual network interface card, wherein each of the network packets includes control information relating to one or more of layers 4-7 of the Open Systems Interconnection Basic Reference (OSI) Model and wherein the distributed virtual switch enables inheritance of policies applicable to a cluster of host systems; and

load balance the network packets among the plurality of virtual machines at least in part on the basis of the control information and the rate of processing of the network packets by the virtual network interface cards.

22. The encoded software of claim 21, further comprising encoded software to launch a virtual machine running the application program and connect a virtual network interface card associated with the virtual machine to the virtual network switch.

23. The encoded software of claim 21, further comprising encoded software to monitor and report on health metrics for the one or more virtual network interface cards connected to the virtual switch, wherein the health metrics include measures of performance and availability.

24. The encoded software of claim 21, wherein the rate of processing of network packets depends at least in part on the size of a queue of network packets maintained in memory.