SWITCHING API

• US 20110087774A1
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xilinx, Inc. (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SolarFlare Communications Incorporated (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: RIDDOCH, DAVID, POPE, STEVEN L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/026 Details of "hello" or keep-alive messages

Abstract

A network interface device for a data processing system comprising: one or more network connection ports for connection to a network; a routing table supported at a memory of the network interface device; a controller operable to modify the routing table; and a control plane interface of the controller arranged to receive routing table update instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the said ports; wherein the control plane interface is configured to, on receiving a routing table update instruction, cause the controller to update the routing table in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

Claims

1. A network interface device for a data processing system comprising:

one or more network connection ports for connection to a network;

a routing table supported at a memory of the network interface device;

a controller operable to modify the routing table; and

a control plane interface of the controller arranged to receive routing table update instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the said ports,

wherein the control plane interface is configured to, on receiving a routing table update instruction, cause the controller to update the routing table in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

2. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a filter configured to monitor data received at the one or more ports and, on identifying the one or more control packets, trap said control packets and pass the control packets or data contained therein to the control plane interface.

3. A network interface device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the filter is configured to identify the one or more control packets using one or more of the following identifiers:

the protocol to which control packets belong;

the destination address of control packets;

the source address of control packets;

the presence of a flag or other identifier in the header of control packets.

4. A network interface device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the filter is configured to write control packets into a receive queue associated with the control plane interface.

5. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the routing table update instruction identifies a plurality of entries in the routing table for updating.

6. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receive queue has a unique network address and the control packets are directed to that network address.

7. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control plane interface is responsive to routing table instructions that include one or more of:

a command to make or update an entry in the routing table;

a command to delete an entry in the routing table;

a command to read one or more entries in the routing table and cause data representing said entries to be returned to a network address specified in the control packets.

8. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control plane interface is operable to cause the network interface device to transmit onto the network a control packet comprising a request for one or more routing table update instructions.

9. A network interface device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control plane interface is configured to cause the network interface device to transmit the control packet onto the network when the network interface device receives one or more data packets which cannot be correctly routed using the routing table.

10. A network interface device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network interface device is one of a switch, a router, and a switching network interface device supported at the chassis of a blade server.

11. A data processing system comprising:

a network interface device comprising a routing table;

a device driver for the network interface device supported at a privileged software domain of the data processing system and comprising a control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions; and

a filter configured to trap control packets carrying one or more routing table instructions received at the network interface device and pass those control packets or data contained therein to the control plane interface,

wherein the control plane interface is configured to, on receiving a routing table update instruction, cause the device driver to update the routing table at the network interface device in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

12. A data processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the network interface device is configured to route data packets to and from a plurality of virtual network interfaces presented to a plurality of unprivileged software domains supported at the data processing system.

13. A data processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the privileged software domain is a hypervisor and the unprivileged software domains are virtual machines.

14. A data processing system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the privileged software domain is the kernel of an operating system and the unprivileged software domains are applications executing at the user level of the operating system.

15. A data processing system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a soft switching entity supported at the privileged software domain, the soft switching entity having a routing table and being coupled to a second control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions,

wherein, on receiving a routing table update instruction at the second control plane interface, the second control plane interface is configured to cause the soft routing table to be updated in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

16. A data processing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second control plane interface is supported at the device driver.

17. A data processing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second control plane interface is supported at the soft switching entity.

18. A data processing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the soft switching entity is configured to route data packets to and from a plurality of unprivileged software domains supported at the data processing system.

19. A data processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data processing system is a blade of a blade server.

20. A blade server comprising:

a chassis;

a network interface device; and

a plurality of blades,

wherein the network interface device comprises;

one or more network connection ports for connection to a network;

a routing table supported at a memory of the network interface device;

a controller operable to modify the routing table; and

a control plane interface of the controller arranged to receive routing table update instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the network connection ports, the control plane interface being configured to, on receiving a routing table update instruction, cause the controller to update the routing table in accordance with the received routing table update instruction,

and wherein each of the blades comprises a blade data processing system having;

a blade network interface device comprising a routing table;

a device driver for the respective blade network interface device supported at a privileged software domain of the respective blade data processing system and comprising a blade control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions; and

a filter configured to trap control packets carrying one or more routing table instructions received at the respective blade network interface device and pass those control packets or data contained therein to the respective blade control plane interface, each of the blade control plane interfaces being configured to, on receiving a given routing table update instruction, cause the respective device driver to update the routing table at the respective blade network interface device in accordance with the given blade routing table update instruction.

24. A system comprising:

a blade server as claimed in claim 20, wherein each of the blades further comprises a soft switching entity supported at the privileged software domain, each of the soft switching entities having a routing table and being coupled to a respective second control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions, and wherein each of the second control plane interface is configured to, on receiving a particular routing table update instruction, cause the respective soft routing table to be updated in accordance with the particular routing table update instruction;

an external network switch external to the blade server interface device, the external network switch having an external switch network connection port for connection to a network, an external switch routing table supported at a memory of the external network switch, an external switch controller operable to modify the external switch routing table, and an external switch control plane interface of the external switch controller arranged to receive routing table update instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the external switch port, the external switch control plane interface being configured to, on receiving a particular routing table update instruction, cause the external switch controller to update the external switch routing table in accordance with the particular routing table update instruction; and

a network management entity accessible to the blade server and network switch over a network,

wherein the network management entity is configured to, on initiating the migration of a guest operating system supported at a first blade of the blade server from that blade server to another entity on the network, to transmit one or more routing table update instructions to the blade server and network switch so as to cause the network switch, the network interface device at the chassis of the blade server, the network interface device at the first blade of the blade server, and the soft switching entity at the first blade to have each of their respective routing tables updated in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

21. A network interface device and device driver, the device driver being operable to modify a routing table at the network interface device when the device driver is installed into a data processing system supporting the network interface device, and the device driver, when installed, presenting a control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the network interface device, wherein the control plane interface is configured to, on receiving a routing table update instruction, cause the device driver to update the routing table at the network interface device in accordance with the routing table update instruction.

22. A network interface device and device driver configured such that when the device driver is installed into a data processing system supporting the network interface device the device driver is operable to modify a routing table stored at the network interface device,

the network interface device being operable to receive one or more control packets comprising routing table instructions;

and

the device driver being configured to, when installed, present a control plane interface arranged to receive routing table instructions carried in one or more control packets received at the network interface device,

wherein, on receiving a routing table update instruction, the control plane interface is configured to cause the device driver to update the routing table at the network interface device in accordance with each routing table update instruction.

23. A method for managing a switching entity accessible to a management unit over a network, the switching entity supporting a routing table and being operable to present a control plane interface to the management unit, the method comprising:

the management unit transmitting to the switching entity one or more control packets that include one or more routing table update instructions; and

the switching entity;

receiving the one or more control packets at the control plane interface; and

the control plane interface causing the switching device to update its routing table in accordance with the routing table update instructions,

wherein the switching entity is any one of a hardware switch, a privileged mode soft switch supported at a data processing system, and a switching network interface device supported at a data processing system.