Methods and Apparatus for Performing In-Service Software Upgrade for a Network Device Using System Virtulization

• US 20140304698A1
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tellabs Operations Incorporated (Infinera Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tellabs Operations Incorporated (Infinera Corp.)
• Inventors: Chigurapati, Chakravarthi S., Uberoy, Pawan, Mani, Somnath, Madhav, Praveen, Ritchie, Duncan Stuart, Sapa, Sebastian
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A method and/or network system is able to perform an in-service software upgrade (“ISSU”) using virtualization technology while ongoing network service is maintained. After receipt of an upgrade signal such as a command of software upgrade, a new or second virtual machine (“VM”) is created in response to the upgrade signal. After downloading the new version of program to the second VM while maintaining the first version of program running on the first VM, the process for providing network management begins to migrate from the first version of program to the new version of program. The process simultaneously facilitates ISSU for a data-path module such as a line card to convert from the previous version of software to the new version of the software.

Claims

1. A method for program conversion for a network system, comprising:

creating a second virtual machine (“

VM”

) running on a network device in response to a program modification signal;

building a second database having a second data structure in the second VM in accordance with requirements relating to a new version of software;

accessing a first database having a first data structure in a first VM based on current version of software while the second database is being built; and

switching over from accessing the first database having the first data structure hosted by the first VM to the second database having the second data structure hosted by the second VM when a switchover command is received from an in-service software upgrade (“

ISSU”

) manager.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein building a second database having a second data structure in the second VM includes establishing a data structure containing a value field, a length field, and an offset field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a second virtual machine (“

VM”

) running on a network device in response to a program modification signal includes activating the ISSU manager and a virtual machine manager (“

VMM”

) to allow the second VM running concurrently with the first VM on the network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein building a second database having a second data structure in the second VM further includes creating a metadata attaching to a converted database according to a new version of microcode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing a first database having a first data structure in a first VM based on current version of software includes continuing providing network services based on the current version of software via the first.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising deactivating the first database having the first data structure and terminating the first VM.