ASYNCHRONOUS VIRTUAL MACHINE REPLICATION

• US 20120151084A1
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Koppol, Pramod, Hari, Adiseshu, Stiliadis, Dimitrios, STATHOPOULOS, Thanos
• Granted Patent: US 9,253,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1479 Generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/48 Program initiating; Program switching, e.g. by interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/245 using preemption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2466 using signalling traffic

Abstract

Provided is a method and devices for asynchronous virtual machine replication. The method includes determining a class corresponding to a data packet associated with the virtual machine and one of buffering the packet and transmitting the packet based on the determined class.

Claims

1. A method for replicating a virtual machine, the method comprising:

determining, by a network element, a class corresponding to a data packet associated with the virtual machine; and

one of buffering the data packet and transmitting the data packet based on the determined class.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the class is determined based on a type of the data packet, and

the type is one of a data packet including control messages and a data packet including only data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

comparing the determined class to a rule set, the rule set including a plurality rules based on the class and the type of data packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein data packets including control messages are buffered.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein data packets including only data are transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is associated with a host of a virtual machine being replicated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is a network switch.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving control and protocol messages, by the network switch, from a control module hosting the virtual machine; and

receiving the data packet, by the network switch, from the control module hosting the virtual machine, wherein the control and protocol messages are used to determine the class corresponding to the data packet.

9. A control module associated with a host of a virtual machine, the control module comprising:

a memory configured to buffer data packets; and

a packet classifier configured to determine a class corresponding to a data packet associated with the virtual machine and configured to one of buffer the data packet in the memory and transmit the data packet based on the determined class.

10. The control module of claim 9, wherein

the class is determined based on a type of the packet, and

the type is one of a data packet including control messages and a data packet including only data.

11. The control module of claim 10, further comprising:

a ruleset database configured to store a plurality rules based on the class and the type of data packet, wherein the packet classifier is configured to compare the determined class to the plurality of rules.

12. The control module of claim 10, wherein data packets including control messages are buffered.

13. The control module of claim 10, wherein data packets including only data are transmitted.

14. The control module of claim 9, further comprising:

a virtual machine interface configured to transmit and receive data packets to and from one or more virtual machines; and

a network interface configured to transmit and receive data packets to and from one or more clients.

15. The control module of claim 9, further comprising:

a control and protocol module configured to determine a control type and a protocol of the data packet; and

a control interface configured to transmit the control type and the protocol of the data packet to a network switch.

16. A network switch comprising:

a module configured to receive a message from a control module hosting a virtual machine, the message including protocol information and control information corresponding to a data packet associated with the virtual machine; and

a packet classifier configured to determine a class based on the protocol information and the control information and configured to one of buffer the data packet and transmit the data packet based on the determined class.

17. The network switch of claim 16, wherein

the class is determined based on a type of the data packet, and

the type is one of a data packet including control messages and a data packet including only data.

18. The network switch of claim 17, further comprising:

a ruleset database configured to store a plurality rules based on the class and the type of data packet, wherein the packet classifier is configured to compare the determined class to the plurality of rules.

19. The network switch of claim 17, wherein

data packets including control messages are buffered;

and

data packets including only data are transmitted.

20. The network switch of claim 16, further comprising:

a control module interface configured to transmit and receive data packets to and from one or more control modules hosting one or more virtual machines; and

a network interface configured to transmit and receive data packets to and from one or more clients.