Private Allocated Networks Over Shared Communications Infrastructure

• US 20110075664A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: LAMBETH, Walter Andrew, DEIANOV, Borislav, DALAL, Anupam, XIAO, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure are presented. One method operation creates virtual switches in one or more hosts in the virtual infrastructure. Each port in the virtual switches is associated with a private allocated network (PAN) from a group of possible PANs. In one embodiment, one or more PANs share the same physical media for data transmission. The intranet traffic within each PAN is not visible to nodes that are not connected to the each PAN. In another operation, the method defines addressing mode tables for the intranet traffic within each PAN. The entries in the addressing mode tables define addressing functions for routing the intranet traffic between the virtual switches, and different types of addressing functions are supported by the virtual switches.

Claims

1. A method for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of virtual switches in one or more hosts in the virtual infrastructure, wherein each port in the plurality of virtual switches is associated with a private allocated network (PAN) from a plurality of PANs, wherein intranet traffic within each PAN is not visible to nodes that are not connected to the each PAN; and

defining addressing mode tables for the intranet traffic within each PAN, wherein an entry in the addressing mode tables defines an addressing function for routing the intranet traffic between the virtual switches, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by the virtual switches.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

converting all broadcasts in each PAN to multicasts.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different types of addressing functions supported by the virtual switches include direct delivery of packets between nodes connected to a same virtual switch, layer 2 address translation, and layer 3 encapsulation.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the addressing functions supported by the virtual switches includes layer 2 encapsulation, wherein the layer 2 encapsulation adds a layer 2 header and a fence protocol data field to an original packet.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the addressing functions supported by the virtual switches includes layer 3 encapsulation, wherein the layer 3 encapsulation adds a layer 2 header and a layer 3 header to an original packet.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further including:

receiving a packet in a first PAN port at one of the virtual switches executing in a first host, the packet destined to a node connected in the first PAN and residing in a second host, wherein the first host does not have connectivity with the second host; and

forwarding the packet to a third host that has connectivity with the second host.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least two PANs share a same physical media for data transmission.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of PANs are implemented in hosts within the virtual infrastructure.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assignment of ports to PANs in the virtual switches is performed by a central manager of the virtual infrastructure.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the central manager allocates a unique media access control (MAC) address to each port in the plurality of virtual switches.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the central manager defines the addressing mode tables, the method further including:

sending the addressing mode tables to the corresponding hosts in the virtual infrastructure.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein each of the one or more hosts builds and updates the corresponding addressing mode tables in the each host, wherein each host sends queries to a rest of the hosts to obtain information for the addressing mode tables in the each host.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

migrating a virtual machine connected to a first virtual switch from a first host to a second host, wherein the virtual machine is connected to a port in the first virtual switch associated with a first PAN;

associating the migrated virtual machine with a second virtual switch in the second host, wherein the second virtual switch does not have support for the first PAN;

creating support for the first PAN in the second virtual switch; and

connecting the migrated virtual machine to the second virtual switch.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further including:

terminating support for the first PAN in the first virtual switch if there are not any virtual machines from the first PAN left connected to the first virtual switch after the migrating.

15. A method for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the method comprising:

sending a packet from a virtual machine to a virtual switch in a host where the virtual machine is executing, the packet being sent from a network interface in the virtual machine connected to a private allocated network (PAN);

checking an addressing mode table in the virtual switch to determine an addressing function corresponding to a destination node for the packet, the addressing function being defined for routing intranet PAN traffic between virtual switches connected to the PAN, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by each virtual switch; and

sending the packet to the destination using the determined addressing function.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the addressing functions supported by the virtual switches include direct delivery of packets between nodes connected to a same virtual switch, layer 2 address translation, layer 3 encapsulation, and broadcast conversion to multicast.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein sending the packet to the destination further includes:

fragmenting the packet into multiple packets when the packet is too large for encapsulation.

18. A virtual switch in a first host for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the virtual switch comprising:

a first group of ports associated with a first private allocated network (PAN);

a second group of ports associated with a second PAN, wherein intranet traffic within the first PAN is not visible to nodes that are not directly connected to the first PAN; and

an addressing mode table for intranet traffic within the first PAN, wherein an entry in the addressing mode table defines an addressing function for routing intranet traffic originated at the first group of ports, wherein layer 2 address translation is used for intranet traffic from the first group of ports to a virtual machine in a second host connected to the same physical media, wherein layer 3 encapsulation is used for intranet traffic from the first group of ports to a virtual machine in a third host not connected to the same physical media.

19. The virtual switch of claim 18, wherein the entry in the addressing mode table includes:

a destination;

the addressing function for the destination; and

a replacement destination address.

20. The virtual switch of claim 18, wherein the virtual switch determines the PAN associated with a received packet from the network.

21. The virtual switch of claim 20, wherein the virtual switch transforms the received packet to deliver the packet in a same form as originally sent from another node within the determined PAN.

22. A system for network communications in a virtual infrastructure, the system comprising:

one or more physical networks; and

a plurality of hosts connected to the physical networks, each host including,

a virtual switch, each port in the virtual switch being associated with one of a plurality of private allocated networks (PAN), wherein nodes in each PAN have a same network address associated with the each PAN, wherein each port can be associated with any of the PANs, wherein intranet PAN traffic between two hosts on different physical networks travels through the two different physical networks, and

addressing mode tables for each PAN, wherein an entry in the addressing mode table defines an addressing function for routing the intranet PAN traffic between the plurality of hosts, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by the plurality of hosts.

23. The system of claim 22, further including:

a virtual infrastructure controller that determines the association of each port to one of the plurality of PANs.