NETWORK SWITCHING SYSTEM USING SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKING APPLICATIONS

• US 20140052836A1
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Cuong, Hamdi, Rabah S., Farrell, Joseph B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,197,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications

Abstract

A network switching system includes a storage device including a plurality of application-provided flow-based rules provided by a plurality of applications. A packet processor is coupled to the storage device and includes a flow-based handler that is operable to receive a packet, determine that the packet is associated with a flow session, and associate a plurality of the application-provided flow-based rules with the packet based the association of the packet with the flow session. The packet processor also includes a flow-based rule processing engine that is operable to determine a priority for the plurality of application-provided flow-based rules and apply at least one of the plurality of application-provided flow-based rules to the packet according to the priority. The system allows a plurality of SDN applications to operate in a network switching system independently and without knowledge of each other.

Claims

1. A network switching system, comprising:

a storage device including a plurality of application-provided flow-based rules provided by a plurality of applications; and

a packet processor coupled to the storage device, wherein the packet processor includes;

a flow-based handler that is operable to receive a packet, determine that the packet is associated with a flow session, associate a plurality of the application-provided flow-based rules with the packet based the association of the packet with the flow session; and

a flow-based rule processing engine that is operable to determine a priority for the plurality of application-provided flow-based rules and apply at least one of the plurality of application-provided flow-based rules to the packet according to the priority.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of applications include a plurality of software defined networking applications.

3. The system of claim 2, where the plurality of software defined networking applications include at least one of a security application, a packet modification application, and a traffic redirection application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the priority for the application-provided flow-based rules is based on which of the plurality of applications provided each application-provided flow-based rule.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the priority for the application-provided flow-based rules is based on an action required by each application-provided flow-based rule.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of applications defines at least one application-provided flow-based rule for each of a plurality of flow sessions that are determinable by the flow-based handler to be associated with the packet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of applications are operable to run independently and without knowledge of the other of the plurality of applications.

8. An information handling system (IHS) network, comprising:

a control IHS that includes a plurality of application that each provide at least one flow-based rule;

a first IHS coupled to the network, wherein the first IHS is operable to generate and send a plurality of packets over the network;

a second IHS coupled to the control IHS and the first IHS through the network and including a storage device storing a plurality of the flow-based rules provided by the plurality of applications, wherein the second IHS is operable to;

assemble the plurality of packets received from the first IHS;

determine that a flow session is associated with each of the plurality of packets;

associate a plurality of the flow-based rules provided by the plurality of applications with each of the plurality of packets based on the association of that packet and the flow session;

for each of the plurality of packets, determine a priority for the plurality of flow-based rules that are associated with that packet; and

for each of the plurality of packets, apply at least one of the plurality of flow-based rules to that that packet based on the priority.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the plurality of applications include a plurality of software defined networking applications.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the plurality of software defined networking applications include at least one of a security application, a packet modification application, and a traffic redirection application.

11. The IHS of claim 8, wherein, for each of the plurality of packets, the priority for the flow-based rules is based on which of the plurality of applications defined each flow-based rule.

12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein, for each of the plurality of packets, the priority for the flow-based rules is based on an action required by each flow-based rule.

13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of applications defines at least one flow-based rule for each of a plurality of flow sessions that are determinable to be associated with any of the plurality of packets.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of applications are operable to run independently and without knowledge of the other of the plurality of applications.

15. A method for processing packets, comprising:

assembling a packet received from an IHS over a network;

determining that a flow session is associated with the packet; and

associating a plurality of flow-based rules defined by a plurality of applications with the packet based on the association of the packet and the flow session;

determining a priority for the plurality of flow-based rules that are associated with the packet; and

applying at least one of the plurality of flow-based rules to the packet based on the priority.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of applications include a plurality of software defined networking applications.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the priority for the flow-based rules is based on which of the plurality of applications defined each flow-based rule.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the priority for the flow-based rules is based on an action required by each flow-based rule.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of applications defines at least one flow-based rule for each of a plurality of flow sessions that are determinable to be associated with the packet.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of applications are operable to run independently and without knowledge of the other of the plurality of applications.