MAPPING VIRTUAL MACHINES FROM A PRIVATE NETWORK TO A MULTI-TENANT PUBLIC DATACENTER

• US 20150172331A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Raman, Chidambareswaran
• Granted Patent: US 9,294,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A method for creating a set of virtual machines on a public datacenter. The method, from a first network controller of a private network, commands a second network controller of the public datacenter to create the virtual machines. The method, from the first network controller of the private network, communicates with the second network controller of the public datacenter to determine a type of the second network controller. When the first network controller includes instructions for using application programming interfaces (APIs) of the type of the second network controller, the method uses the APIs to set up a VLAN for the set of virtual machines in order to allow the virtual machines of the set of virtual machines to communicate securely with each other without sending the communications through the private network. In some embodiments, the VLAN is a private VLAN (PVLAN).

Claims

1. A method for creating a set of virtual machines on a public datacenter, the method comprising:

from a first network controller of a private network, commanding a second network controller of the public datacenter to create the virtual machines;

from the first network controller of the private network, communicating with the second network controller of the public datacenter to determine a type of the second network controller; and

when the first network controller includes instructions for using application programming interfaces (APIs) of the type of the second network controller, using the APIs to set up a VLAN for the set of virtual machines in order to allow the virtual machines of the set of virtual machines to communicate securely with each other without sending the communications through the private network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the type of the second network controller comprises sending a query from the first network controller to the second network controller and receiving an identifying message from the second network controller at the first network controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the VLAN is set up when the type of the second network controller is one of a pre-selected set of network controller types and wherein a system, for passing all signals between the virtual machines on the public datacenter through the private network, is set up when the second network controller is not one of the pre-selected set of network controller types.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the VLAN is implemented by adding a VLAN tag to packets sent between the virtual machines.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the VLAN is a private VLAN (PVLAN).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the private VLAN comprises a primary VLAN and a plurality of secondary VLANs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machines are initially implemented on the private network and moved to the public datacenter by said commanding the second network controller of the public datacenter to create the virtual machines.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network controller commands the second network controller of the public datacenter to create the virtual machines in response to commands received from a cloud management platform to create the virtual machines.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the commands received from the cloud management platform are generated in response to one of a dynamic scheduling algorithm and a command received from a network administrator.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which, when implemented by at least one processing unit of a private network sets up communications between a plurality of virtual machines on a public datacenter, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

identifying a type of a network controller managing a network of the public datacenter;

when the type of network controller is one of a pre-selected set of network controller types, using application programming interfaces (APIs) of the network controller to set up a virtual local area network (VLAN) between the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the host machines implement the VLAN to send signals between the virtual machines on the public datacenter without passing the signals through the private network; and

when the network controller is not one of the pre-selected set of network controller types, setting up a system of communication in which all communications between virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines on the public datacenter pass through the private network.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for commanding, from the private network, the public datacenter to set up the plurality of virtual machines.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the type of the network controller managing the network of the public datacenter comprises sets of instructions for:

sending a query to the public datacenter; and

receiving an identifying message from the public datacenter.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the pre-selected set of network controller types comprises a set of network controller types with APIs that the program has instructions to use.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the VLAN is a private VLAN (PVLAN).

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the private VLAN comprises a primary VLAN and a plurality of secondary VLANs.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the virtual machines on the public datacenter are initially implemented on the private network and moved to the public datacenter.

17. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program which, when implemented by at least one processing unit of a private network sets up communications between a plurality of virtual machines on a public datacenter, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

identifying a type of a network controller managing a network of the public datacenter;

using application programming interfaces (APIs) of the network controller to set up a first virtual local area network (VLAN) between a first subset of the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the host machines implement the first VLAN to send signals between the first subset of the plurality of virtual machines on the public datacenter without passing the signals through the private network; and

using the APIs of the public datacenter to set up a second VLAN between a second subset of the plurality of virtual machines, wherein the host machines implement the second VLAN to send signals between the second subset of the plurality of virtual machines on the public datacenter without passing the signals through the private network.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first and second VLANs are secondary VLANs of a primary private VLAN of the plurality of virtual machines.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the network controller managing the network of the public datacenter comprises sets of instructions for:

sending a query to the public datacenter; and

receiving an identifying message from the public datacenter.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the host machines implement the first VLAN to communicatively connect machines on a plurality of host machines of the public datacenter.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the host machines implement the first VLAN to communicatively connect machines on a single host machine of the public datacenter.

22. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17, wherein the virtual machines on the public datacenter are initially implemented on the private network and moved to the public datacenter.