Distributed Virtual Switch Configuration and State Management

• US 20140012966A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: BAPHNA, Mukesh, SU, Chi-Hsiang, KOTHARI, Piyush, KAKARLAPUDI, Geetha
• Granted Patent: US 9,231,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• 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 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for pushing configuration changes of a distributed virtual switch from a management server to a plurality of host servers underlying the distributed virtual switch. The approach includes sending, in parallel, by the management server, a message to each of the plurality of host servers. The message specifies a final configuration state for one or more virtual ports emulated via virtualization layers of the host servers. The approach further includes determining, by each of the plurality of host servers, port state configuration changes to make to the virtual ports to achieve the final configuration state, and reconfiguring, by each of the plurality of host servers, their respective virtual ports, to match the final configuration state.

Claims

1. A method for pushing changes to a configuration of a distributed virtual switch from a management server to a plurality of host servers, the method comprising:

sending, by the management server, a message to each of the plurality of host servers, wherein the message specifies a final configuration state for one or more virtual ports emulated via virtualization layers of the host servers;

determining, by each of the plurality of host servers, port state configuration changes to make to the virtual ports to achieve the final configuration state; and

reconfiguring, by each of the plurality of host servers, their respective virtual ports, to match the final configuration state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by each of the plurality of host servers, port state configuration changes includes computing differences between a locally stored switch configuration state for each virtual port emulated via the virtualization layer of the respective host server and the final configuration state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending a message to each of the plurality of host servers is performed by a network transport component which sends, in parallel, the final configuration state to the plurality of host servers via asynchronous input/output (I/O).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an application running on the management server sends the final configuration state via a batch request to the network transport component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the final configuration state to the plurality of host servers includes invoking, in parallel, an application programming interface (API) on each of the plurality of host servers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the network transport component sends a callback message to the application indicating completion of API invocations, and the API on each host server returns from invocation indicating whether state configuration transition was successful on the respective host server.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the application of the management server, a time out or failure of an invocation of the API exposed by a host server; and

adding, by the application of the management server, an entry to a queue corresponding to the host server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

monitoring, by the application of the management server, the queues corresponding to the host servers;

identifying one or more host servers to resend the final configuration state based on entries in queues corresponding to the one or more host servers.

re-sending the final configuration state to the one or more host servers.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the management server, a network virtualization construct to remove from one or more host servers; and

sending a request to the one or more host servers to remove the network virtualization construct.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein sending a message to the one or more host servers includes invoking an API on each of the one or more host servers, wherein the API is asynchronously invoked via a network transport component, wherein the management server adds an entry to a queue corresponding to one of the plurality of host servers when removal of the network virtualization construct from the associated host server is unsuccessful, and wherein the management server periodically re-invokes the API for host servers corresponding to queues having entries.

11. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed by processors on a management server and a plurality of host servers, performs operations for pushing changes to a configuration of a distributed virtual switch from a management server to a plurality of host servers, the operations comprising:

sending by the management server, a message to each of the plurality of host servers, wherein the message specifies a final configuration state for one or more virtual ports emulated via virtualization layers of the host servers;

determining, by each of the plurality of host servers, port state configuration changes to make to the virtual ports to achieve the final configuration state; and

reconfiguring, by each of the plurality of host servers, their respective virtual ports, to match the final configuration state.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining, by each of the plurality of host servers, port state configuration changes includes computing differences between a locally stored switch configuration state for each virtual port emulated via the virtualization layer of the respective host server and the final configuration state.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein sending a message to each of the plurality of host servers is performed by a network transport component which sends, in parallel, the final configuration state to the plurality of host servers via asynchronous input/output (I/O).

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein an application running on the management server sends the final configuration state via a batch request to the network transport component.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein sending the final configuration state to the plurality of host servers includes invoking, in parallel, an application programming interface (API) on each of the plurality of host servers.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the network transport component sends a callback message to the application indicating completion of API invocations, and the API on each host server returns from invocation indicating whether state configuration transition was successful on the respective host server.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining, by the application of the management server, a time out or failure of an invocation of the API exposed by a host server; and

adding, by the network transport component, an entry to a queue corresponding o the host server.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

monitoring, by the application of the management server, the queues corresponding to the host servers;

identifying one or more host servers to resend the final configuration state to based on entries in queues corresponding to the one or more host servers; and

re-sending the final configuration state to the one or more host servers.

19. A method for pushing port runtime state data for distributed virtual ports of a distributed virtual switch from a host server to a management server, the method comprising:

monitoring a predefined port state;

identifying one of a state change event for the port state or that the port state has stopped changing; and

updating the management server with data for the port state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein identifying that the port state has stopped changing includes determining that the port is in a linked down state.