METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PROVISIONING RESOURCES WITHIN A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE OF A SWITCH

• US 20110238816A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Kondur, Umesh, Vohra, Quaizar, Sarcar, Arijit, Shekhar, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 9,240,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

In some embodiments, a network management module is operatively coupled to a set of edge devices that are coupled to a set of peripheral processing devices. The network management module can receive a signal associated with a broadcast protocol from an edge device from the set of edge devices in response to that edge device being operatively coupled to a switch fabric. The network management module can provision that edge device in response to receiving the signal. The network management module can define multiple network control entities at the set of edge devices such that each network control entity from the multiple network control entities can provide forwarding-state information associated with at least one peripheral processing device from the set of peripheral processing devices to at least one remaining network control entity from the multiple network control entities using a selective protocol.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a network management module to be operatively coupled to a plurality of edge devices that are coupled to a plurality of peripheral processing devices, the network management module to receive a signal associated with a broadcast protocol from an edge device from the plurality of edge devices in response to that edge device being operatively coupled to a switch fabric, the network management module to provision that edge device in response to receiving the signal,

the network management module to define a plurality of network control entities at the plurality of edge devices such that each network control entity from the plurality of network control entities is to provide forwarding-state information associated with at least one peripheral processing device from the plurality of peripheral processing devices to at least one remaining network control entity from the plurality of network control entities using a selective protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the broadcast protocol is substantially similar to the Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) protocol and the selective protocol is substantially similar to the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each network control entity from the plurality of network control entities is associated with a virtual switch fabric system from a plurality of virtual switch fabric systems and is to provide forwarding-state information associated with the at least one peripheral processing device from the plurality of peripheral processing devices to at least one remaining network control entity from the plurality of network control entities associated with that virtual switch fabric system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a network address of the network management module is dynamic.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge device from the plurality of edge devices is to send the signal to a fixed multicast address using the broadcast protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network management module is to assign a unique device identifier to the edge device from the plurality of edge devices in response to receiving the signal from the edge device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each edge device from the plurality of edge devices is operatively coupled to the remaining edge devices from the plurality of edge devices via the switch fabric, the switch fabric defines a single logical hop between each edge device pair from the plurality of edge devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first edge device from the plurality of edge devices is to send data to a peripheral processing device from the plurality of peripheral processing devices operatively coupled to a second edge device from the plurality of edge devices using forwarding-state information received at the first edge device from a network control entity from the plurality of network control entities associated with the peripheral processing device.

17. The system of claim 5, wherein the first edge device from the plurality of edge devices is to send data to the remaining edge devices from the plurality of edge devices via the switch fabric, the switch fabric defines a single logical hop between edge device pairs from the plurality of edge devices.

9. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

send a first signal indicating that an edge device has been operatively coupled to a switch fabric system defining a plurality of virtual switch fabric systems, the first signal being based on a broadcast protocol;

receive a second signal from a network management module, the second signal causing the edge device to initiate a first network control entity at the edge device, the second signal assigning to the first network control entity a device identifier and a virtual switch fabric system identifier associated with a virtual switch fabric system from the plurality of virtual switch fabric systems, the first network control entity to manage at least a portion of the edge device; and

send, using the first network control entity, forwarding-state information associated with a peripheral processing device operatively coupled to the edge device to a second network control entity associated with the virtual switch fabric system, using a selective protocol.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the code representing instructions to cause a processor to send the first signal includes code representing instructions to cause the processor to address the first signal using a fixed multicast address.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein a network address of the network management module is dynamic.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the broadcast protocol is substantially similar to the Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) protocol, and the selective protocol is substantially similar to the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the edge device is a first edge device, the switch fabric system defining a single logical hop between the first edge device and a second edge device operatively coupled to the switch fabric system.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the edge device is a first edge device, the second network control entity is to manage at least a portion of a second edge device, the second edge device to send data to the peripheral processing device using the forwarding-state information sent to the second network control entity.

15. A system, comprising:

a plurality of edge devices associated with a network and to be operatively coupled to a switch fabric and a plurality of peripheral processing devices, a first edge device from the plurality of edge devices to send a broadcast signal to a plurality of devices associated with the network when the first edge device is initially coupled to the network, a network management module to automatically provision the first edge device from the plurality of edge devices in response to receiving the broadcast signal,

the network management module defining a first network control entity at the first edge device from the plurality of edge devices and a second network control entity at a second edge device from the plurality of edge devices, a first set of peripheral processing devices from the plurality of peripheral processing devices being associated with the first network control entity, a second set of peripheral processing devices from the plurality of peripheral processing devices being associated with the second network control entity, the first network control entity to send forwarding-state information associated with the first set of peripheral processing devices to the second network control entity using a selective protocol.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first network control entity and the second network control entity are associated with a first virtual switch fabric system, the network management module defining a third network control entity at a third edge device from the plurality of edge devices, the third network control entity being associated with a second virtual switch fabric system, the management module restricting the first network control entity from sending forwarding-state information associated with the first set of peripheral processing devices to the third network control entity.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein a network address of the network management module is dynamic.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first edge device from the plurality of edge devices is to send the broadcast signal to a fixed multicast address.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the network management module is to assign a unique device identifier to the first edge device from the plurality of edge devices in response to receiving the signal from the first edge device.