DISTRIBUTED VIRTUAL APPLIANCE

• US 20140258541A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embrane, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Di Benedetto, Marco, Malagrino, Dante, Salvatori, Alessandro, Chang, Arthur Lihder, Chander, Vijay, Flynn, Thomas Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

A distributed virtual appliance is disclosed, including: determining a classification type associated with the first flow; and determining an allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit of the distributed virtual appliance based at least in part on the determined classification type and at least a subset of information of a first flow identifier, wherein the distributed virtual appliance includes a plurality of compute units, including the first data plane compute.

Claims

1. A method of a data planes dispatcher compute unit for allocating a first flow to a first data plane compute unit of a distributed virtual appliance, comprising:

determining a classification type associated with the first flow; and

determining an allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit of the distributed virtual appliance based at least in part on the determined classification type and at least a subset of information of a first flow identifier, wherein the distributed virtual appliance includes a plurality of compute units, including the first data plane compute unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data planes dispatcher compute unit is implemented using a virtual machine on a computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification type is associated with unknown data, wherein unknown data includes data for which neither a source IP address nor a destination IP address is identifiable by the distributed virtual appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the allocation of the first flow to the first is data plane compute unit is based at least in part on a layer 3 hash.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the classification type is associated with known data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein known data includes one or more of the following:

non-IP traffic, traffic for which the source IP address and source port are known, traffic for which the destination IP address is known, traffic for which the source IP address is known, or traffic for which the destination IP address and destination port are known.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes using a selection logic and at least a portion of the at least subset of information to identify a distribution algorithm.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection logic includes a first hash function.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the distribution algorithm and at least a portion of the at least subset of information to allocate the first flow to the first data plane compute unit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least subset of information of the first flow includes at least a source IP, a source port, a destination IP, and a destination port.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adding a second data plane compute unit; and

updating a history table for reallocation of flows to include the addition of the second data plane compute unit.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising allocating one or more flows to the second data plane compute unit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second data plane compute unit is configured to punt a received packet of a flow that is associated with the first data plane compute unit to the first data plane compute unit.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

dynamically removing the second data plane compute unit; and

updating the history table for reallocation of flows to include the removal of the second is data plane compute unit.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising allocating a new flow to a data plane compute unit other than the second data plane compute unit.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more compute units are dynamically added or removed from the distributed virtual appliance without disruption to the network traffic.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the first data plane compute unit, determining if the first flow is a new flow, an existing flow allocated to the first data plane compute unit, or an existing flow allocated to a data plane compute unit other than the first data plane compute unit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein in the event that it is determined that the first flow is an existing flow allocated to a data plane compute unit other than the first data plane compute unit, the first data plane compute unit is configured to punt a packet associated with the first flow to the other data plane compute unit.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes distributing a packet associated with the first flow directly to the first data plane compute unit.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes distributing a packet associated with the first flow to a second data plane compute unit and wherein it is determined that the packet is associated with the first data plane compute unit, the second data plane compute unit is configured to punt the packet to the first data plane compute unit.

21. A system of a data planes dispatcher compute unit for allocating a first flow to a first data plane compute unit of a distributed virtual appliance, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a classification type associated with the first flow; and

determine an allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit of the distributed virtual appliance based at least in part on the determined classification type and at least a subset of information of a first flow identifier, wherein the distributed virtual appliance includes a plurality of compute units, including the first data plane compute unit; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data planes dispatcher compute unit is implemented using a virtual machine on a computer.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the classification type is associated with unknown data, wherein unknown data includes data for which neither a source IP address nor a destination IP address is identifiable by the distributed virtual appliance.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein to determine an allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit is based at least in part on a layer 3 hash.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the classification type is associated with known data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein known data includes one or more of the following:

non-IP traffic, traffic for which the source IP address and source port are known, traffic for which the destination IP address is known, traffic for which the source IP address is known, or traffic for which the destination IP address and destination port are known.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein to determine the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes using a selection logic and at least a portion of the at least subset of information to identify a distribution algorithm.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the selection logic includes a first hash function.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configured to use the distribution algorithm and at least a portion of the at least subset of information to allocate the first flow to the first data plane compute unit.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least subset of information of the first flow includes at least a source IP, a source port, a destination IP, and a destination port.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:

dynamically add a second data plane compute unit; and

update a history table for reallocation of flows to include the addition of the second data is plane compute unit.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate one or more flows to the second data plane compute unit.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the second data plane compute unit is configured to punt a received packet of a flow that is associated with the first data plane compute unit to the first data plane compute unit.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the processor is further configured to:

dynamically remove the second data plane compute unit; and

update the history table for reallocation of flows to include the removal of the second data plane compute unit.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to allocate a new flow to a data plane compute unit other than the second data plane compute unit.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein one or more compute units are dynamically added or removed from the distributed virtual appliance without disruption to the network traffic.

37. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, at the first data plane compute unit, if the first flow is a new flow, an existing flow allocated to the first data plane compute unit, or an existing flow allocated to a data plane compute unit other than the first data plane compute unit.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein in the event that it is determined that the first flow is an existing flow allocated to a data plane compute unit other than the first data plane compute unit, the first data plane compute unit is configured to punt a packet associated with the first flow to the other data plane compute unit.

39. The system of claim 21, wherein to determine the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes distributing a packet associated with a first flow directly to the first data plane compute unit.

40. The system of claim 21, wherein to determine the allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit includes distributing a packet associated with the first flow to a second data plane compute unit and wherein it is determined that the packet is associated with the first is data plane compute unit, the second data plane compute unit is configured to punt the packet to the first data plane compute unit.

41. A computer program product for a data planes dispatcher compute unit for allocating a first flow to a first data plane compute unit of a distributed virtual appliance, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining a classification type associated with the first flow; and

determining an allocation of the first flow to the first data plane compute unit of the distributed virtual appliance based at least in part on the determined classification type and at least a subset of information of a first flow identifier, wherein the distributed virtual appliance includes a plurality of compute units, including the first data plane compute unit.