ENCAPSULATION SCHEME FOR CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20150026292A1
• Filed: 07/22/2013
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: COCHRAN, Marc J., Curtis, Paul M., Considine, John F., Clarke, Kevin J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• 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 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A first cloud computing device includes a first virtual machine, and receives, from the first virtual machine, a packet destined for a second virtual machine provided in a second cloud computing device. The device appends, to the packet, a header that includes an address of the second cloud computing device, a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier of the first virtual machine, and a VLAN identifier of the second virtual machine. The device provides the packet and the header to a cloud computing network for provision to the second virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a source cloud computing device, a packet destined for a destination virtual machine provided in a destination cloud computing device,

the packet being received from a source virtual machine provided in the source cloud computing device;

adding, by the source cloud computing device and to the packet, a header that includes;

an address of the destination cloud computing device,

a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier of the source virtual machine, and

a VLAN identifier of the destination virtual machine; and

providing, by the source cloud computing device, the packet and the header to a cloud computing network for provision to the destination virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, where the header includes a pointer to a packet field that includes at least one of:

the address of the destination cloud computing device,

the VLAN identifier of the source virtual machine, or

the VLAN identifier of the destination virtual machine.

3. The method of claim 2, where the pointer reduces overhead associated with the header.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the packet and the header to a network device of the cloud computing network,

the network device utilizing the address of the destination cloud computing device to forward the packet and the header to the destination cloud computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, where the packet includes an Internet protocol (IP) over Ethernet packet.

6. The method of claim 1, where the packet is one of:

generated by the source virtual machine, or

received by the source virtual machine from a user device.

7. A first cloud computing device, comprising:

a first virtual machine; and

one or more processors to;

receive, from the first virtual machine, a packet destined for a second virtual machine provided in a second cloud computing device,

append, to the packet, a header that includes;

an address of the second cloud computing device,

a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier of the first virtual machine, and

a VLAN identifier of the second virtual machine, and

provide the packet and the header to a cloud computing network for provision to the second virtual machine.

8. The first cloud computing device of claim 7, where the header includes a pointer to a packet field that includes at least one of:

the address of the second cloud computing device,

the VLAN identifier of the first virtual machine, or

the VLAN identifier of the second virtual machine.

9. The first cloud computing device of claim 8, where the pointer reduces overhead associated with the header.

10. The first cloud computing device of claim 7, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide the packet and the header to a network device of the cloud computing network,

the network device utilizing the address of the second cloud computing device to forward the packet and the header to the second cloud computing device.

11. The first cloud computing device of claim 7, where the packet includes an Internet protocol (IP) over Ethernet packet.

12. The first cloud computing device of claim 7, where the packet is one of:

generated by the first virtual machine, or

received by the first virtual machine from a user device.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a destination cloud computing device, a packet with a header that includes;

an address of the destination cloud computing device,

the packet being received by the destination cloud computing device based on the address,

a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier of a source virtual machine that generates the packet, and

a VLAN identifier of a destination virtual machine provided in the destination cloud computing device;

removing, by the destination cloud computing device, the header from the packet;

forwarding, by the destination cloud computing device, the packet to the destination virtual machine based on the VLAN identifier of the destination virtual machine; and

processing, by the destination cloud computing device, the packet with the destination virtual machine.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

associating the VLAN identifier of the source virtual machine with a source cloud computing device that includes the source virtual machine.

15. The method of claim 13, where the header includes a pointer to a packet field that includes at least one of:

the address of the destination cloud computing device,

the VLAN identifier of the source virtual machine, or

the VLAN identifier of the destination virtual machine.

16. The method of claim 15, where the pointer reduces overhead associated with the header.

17. A first cloud computing device, comprising:

a first virtual machine; and

one or more processors to;

receive a packet with a header that includes;

an address of the first cloud computing device,

the packet being received by the first cloud computing device based on the address,

a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier of a second virtual machine that generates the packet, and

a VLAN identifier of the first virtual machine,

remove the header from the packet,

forward the packet to the first virtual machine based on the VLAN identifier of the first virtual machine, and

process the packet with the first virtual machine.

18. The first cloud computing device of claim 17, where the one or more processors are further to:

associate the VLAN identifier of the second virtual machine with a second cloud computing device that includes the second virtual machine.

19. The first cloud computing device of claim 17, where the header includes a pointer to a packet field that includes at least one of:

the address of the first cloud computing device,

the VLAN identifier of the second virtual machine, or

the VLAN identifier of the first virtual machine.

20. The first cloud computing device of claim 19, where the pointer reduces overhead associated with the header.