PROGRAMMABLE INFRASTRUCTURE GATEWAY FOR ENABLING HYBRID CLOUD SERVICES IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

• US 20150295731A1
• Filed: 06/05/2014
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bagepalli, Nagaraj A., Chang, David Wei-Shen, Patra, Abhijit, Anantha, Murali, Thumbargudi, Prashanth
• Granted Patent: US 9,755,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66

Abstract

An example method for a programmable infrastructure gateway for enabling hybrid cloud services in a network environment is provided and includes receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud, interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface, and executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter. The method is generally executed in the infrastructure gateway including a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit, the cloud adapter being generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud. In specific embodiments, identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms; each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

Claims

1. A method executing in an infrastructure gateway, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface (API); and

executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud, the infrastructure gateway comprising a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit (SDK).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction using the cloud adapter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cloud management API comprises functions selected from a group consisting of:

(a) provisioning computing resources in the public cloud for various users, (b) monitoring resource usage, (c) metering resource usage, (d) configuring appliances in the public cloud, and (e) analyzing resource usage in the public cloud.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming the integration framework comprises:

using the SDK to generate the cloud adapter to be compatible with the public cloud platform; and

configuring management parameters and cloud orchestration code for the public cloud platform.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by the various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to their respective codes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the cloud adapters that inherits the abstract classes implements the actual functions of the corresponding sub-classes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure gateway comprises a plurality of cloud adapters, wherein each cloud adapter conforms to a different public cloud platform managed by a different cloud service provider, wherein at least one of the cloud adapters comprises an embedded pre-installed cloud adapter, wherein at least another of the cloud adapters comprises a programmable cloud adapter tailored for the public cloud platform.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein separate trust domains corresponding to a cloud service provider of the public cloud and a hybrid cloud solution vendor providing the infrastructure gateway are maintained, wherein the cloud service provider'"'"'s trust domain comprises the cloud service provider'"'"'s proprietary cloud orchestration code, wherein the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s trust domain comprises the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s proprietary integration framework.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein changes to the cloud service provider'"'"'s proprietary cloud orchestration code do not affect the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s proprietary integration framework, and vice versa.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to several different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms, wherein each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

11. Non-transitory tangible media that includes instructions for execution, which when executed by a processor of an infrastructure gateway, is operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud API; and

executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud, the infrastructure gateway comprising a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter SDK.

12. The media of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction through the cloud adapter.

13. The media of claim 11, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to their respective codes.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein separate trust domains corresponding to the cloud service provider and a hybrid cloud solution vendor providing the infrastructure gateway are maintained, wherein the cloud service provider'"'"'s trust domain comprises the cloud service provider'"'"'s proprietary cloud orchestration code, wherein the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s trust domain comprises the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s proprietary integration framework.

15. The media of claim 11, wherein substantially identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to several different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms, wherein each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

16. An apparatus, comprising an infrastructure gateway including:

a memory element for storing data; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate, such that the apparatus is configured for;

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud API; and

executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud, the infrastructure gateway comprising a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter SDK.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further configured for:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction through the cloud adapter.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to their respective codes.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein separate trust domains corresponding to the cloud service provider and a hybrid cloud solution vendor providing the infrastructure gateway are maintained, wherein the cloud service provider'"'"'s trust domain comprises the cloud service provider'"'"'s proprietary cloud orchestration code, wherein the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s trust domain comprises the hybrid cloud solution vendor'"'"'s proprietary integration framework.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein substantially identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to several different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms, wherein each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.