Method to Pass Virtual Local Area Network Information in Virtual Station Interface Discovery and Configuration Protocol

• US 20130021944A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sultan, Robert, Mack-Crane, T. Benjamin, GU, Yingjie, Li, Yizhou
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,975 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• 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 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

An apparatus comprising an edge virtual bridging (EVB) bridge, and an EVB station coupled to the EVB bridge, wherein the EVB station is configured to send to the EVB bridge a virtual station interface (VSI) discovery and configuration protocol (VDP) request comprising a filter information (info) field without specifying a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID), and wherein the EVB bridge is configured to send a VLAN ID (VID) to the EVB station in a second filter info field in a VDP response to the VDP request.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an Edge Virtual Bridging(EVB) station coupled to an EVB bridge; and

wherein the EVB station is configured to send to the EVB bridge a virtual station interface (VSI) discovery and configuration protocol (VDP) request comprising a filter information (info) field without specifying a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID), and to receive a VDP response comprising a VLAN ID (VID) value from the EVB bridge.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein without specifying a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (VID) comprises specifying a null VID in the filter info field by the EVB station to request a real VID value from the EVB bridge.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VDP request comprises a VSI Type ID indicated in the filter info field by the EVB station to request mapping the VSI Type ID to an associated VID value from the EVB bridge.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VDP request comprises a Group ID indicated in the filter info field by the EVB station to request mapping the Group ID to an associated VID value from the EVB bridge.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter info field in the VDP response comprises a set of one or more VID values.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter info field in the VDP response comprises a set of one or more Media Access Control (MAC)/VID values.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter info field in the VDP response comprises a set of one or more GroupID/Media Access Control (MAC)/VID values.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter info field the VDP response comprises a set of one or more GroupID/VID values.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VDP request indicates a plurality of VIDs for a single MAC Address.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VDP request indicates a plurality of VIDs for a plurality of MAC Addresses.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the EVB station comprises:

a edge relay couple to the EVB bridge;

a virtual machine (VM) comprising a virtual station interface (VSI) couple to the edge relay; and

wherein the EVB station sends the VDP request and receives the VDP response through the edge relay, and the VID value is associated with the VSI of a virtual machine within the EVB station.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more Media Access Control (MAC)/VID values are associated with the VSI.

13. A method implemented by at least one network component comprising:

sending from an Edge Virtual Bridging (EVB) station a virtual station interface (VSI) discovery and configuration protocol (VDP) request that comprises a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) (VID) field to a bridge coupled to the EVB station, wherein the VID field is specified to a null VID; and

receiving at the EVB station a VDP response that comprises a VID value that is mapped at the bridge to the VID field.

14. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 13, wherein the VID value is associated with a VSI of a virtual machine within the EVB station.

15. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 14, wherein at least one of the EVB station and the bridge store an association between the VID value and the VSI.

16. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 15, further comprising sending from the EVB stationa second VDP request to the bridge to change the association between the VID value and the VSI.

17. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 16 comprising:

sending from the EVB station to the bridge a second VDP request that comprises a MAC Address and a associated VID for the existing association between the VID value and the VSI at the bridge to indicate to the bridge to delete the existing association that is not included in the second VDP request; and

receiving at the EVB station a second VDP response that indicates an acknowledgement of successful removal of the association at the bridge.

18. A network bridge comprising:

a receiver configured to receive from a network server a virtual station interface (VSI) discovery and configuration protocol (VDP) request message without specifying a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) (VID);

a transmitter configured to transmit to the network server a VID in a VDP response message in response to the VDP request message; and

a processor configured to retrieve the VID value based on an ID in the VDP request message.

19. The network bridge of claim 18, wherein without specifying a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) (VID) comprises specifying a null VID in a filter info field to request a real VID value associated with a VSI of the network server from the network bridge.

20. The network bridge of claim 19, when the VDP request comprises more VID fields each specifying a null VID, the VDP response comprises corresponding more VID values associated with one or more VSIs of the network server.

21. The network bridge of claim 18, wherein the ID in the VDP request message is a VSI Type (VTID).

22. The network bridge of claim 18, wherein the ID in the VDP request message is a Group ID.

23. A method implemented by at least one network component comprising:

receiving at a bridge from an Edge Virtual Bridging (EVB) station coupled to the bridge a virtual station interface (VSI) discovery and configuration protocol (VDP) request that comprises a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) (VID) field, wherein the VID field is specified to a null VID; and

sending to the EVB station a VDP response that comprises a VLAN ID (VID) value that is mapped at the bridge to the VID field.

24. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 23, wherein at least one of the EVB station and the bridge store an association between the VID and a VSI of a virtual machine within the EVB station.

25. The method implemented by at least one network component of claim 24, further comprising changing the association between the VID and the VSI when a second VDP request is received to change a VID associated with the VSI.