Apparatuses and Methods Related to Connecting Tunnels Through a Virtual Switch

• US 20150295758A1
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Melander, Bob, Puthalath, Hareesh, Sefidcon, Azimeh, Fernandez Casado, Enrique Eduardo
• Granted Patent: US 11,057,268 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 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods enable connecting tunnels channeling data flow from a user terminal and to a mobile network through a virtual switch in a network device which is configured to provide a service by processing data in the data flow. A method (300) performed by a device (110, 400) having one or more processors (420) includes establishing (S310) (A) a first tunnel (125) between the device (110) and a node (120) of the mobile network, and (B) a second tunnel (135) between the device (110) and another network device (130) of the mobile network, the first tunnel and the second tunnel operating according to Internet protocols. The method further includes connecting (S320) the first tunnel to the second tunnel using a virtual switch (112) running on the device, and connecting (S330) a virtual machine (114) running on the device to the virtual switch, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service by processing data in the data flow.

Claims

1. A method for interposing a computing unit between a network node and another network device in a mobile network, the method comprising:

dispatching a virtual machine on the computing unit, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service by processing data in a data flow from a user terminal to the other network device through the network node;

configuring a first General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) tunnel between the network node and the computing unit to receive the data flow via the first GTP tunnel, and a second GTP tunnel between the computing unit and the other network device to forward the data flow there-through; and

configuring, in the computing unit, a virtual switch having a first port that is a terminal point for the first GTP tunnel and a second port that is a starting point for the second GTP tunnel to forward the data flow there-between, and configured to supply the data to the virtual machine.

2. A method performed by a device having one or more processors, the method comprising:

establishing

a first tunnel between the device and a node of a mobile network to receive a data flow from a user terminal via the first tunnel, and

a second tunnel between the device and another network device of the mobile network to forward the data flow via the second tunnel,

the first tunnel and the second tunnel operating according to Internet protocols;

connecting the first tunnel to the second tunnel using a virtual switch running on the device; and

connecting a virtual machine running on the device to the virtual switch, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service by processing data in the data flow.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

breaking an existing tunnel between the node and the another device, wherein the breaking of the existing tunnel, the establishing of the first tunnel and the second channel and the connecting using the virtual switch trigger no change in the another device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data flow includes General Packet Radio Service packets and the Internet protocols are included in a GPRS Tunneling Protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

configuring the virtual switch by a switch controller configured to provide information enabling the virtual switch to operate as a GTP tunnel end point.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile network is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, and the switch controller receives the information from a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual switch includes:

a first port that operates as an end point of the first tunnel, and

a second port that operates as a start point of the second tunnel,

the first port and the second port being each linked to a physical interface of the device, respectively, configured to enable communication with the node and the other network device, respectively.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual machine is connected to the virtual switch via a virtual Internet Protocol interface.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile network is an LTE system and the node is an eNodeB or a Radio Network Controller (RNC).

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile network is an LTE system and the other network device is a Serving Gateway (SGW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PDN-GW), a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GSN) or a Service GPRS Serving Nodes (SGSN).

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

configuring the virtual switch to forward the data flow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel, according to one or more predetermined traffic management rules.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

connecting the virtual switch to Internet; and

forwarding the data flow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel while performing, according to the one or more predetermined traffic management rules, at least one of breaking-out the data flow and breaking-in the data flow one or more traffic flows to or from Internet.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more predetermined traffic management rules include at least one of:

directing a first part of the data flow to a first network device and a second part of the data flow to a second network device,

attributing a higher priority to a third part of the data flow than a priority attributed to a fourth part of the data flow, and

forwarding a fifth part of the data flow at a predetermined minimum speed.

14. A computing unit, comprising:

at least one physical interface configured to communicate with a node of a mobile network and another network device of the mobile network; and

a data processing unit including one or more processors and configured

to establish (A) a first tunnel between the computing unit and the node of the mobile network to enable a data flow from a user terminal via the first tunnel, and (B) a second tunnel between the computing unit and the other network device to forward the data flow, the first tunnel and the second tunnel operating according to Internet protocols,

to run executable codes corresponding to a virtual switch connecting the first tunnel to the second tunnel, and

to run executable codes corresponding to a virtual machine connected to the virtual switch, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service to the user terminal by processing data in the data flow.

15. The computing unit of claim 14, wherein the data flow includes GPRS packets and the Internet protocols are included in the GPRS Tunneling Protocol, and

wherein the mobile network is an LTE system, the node is an eNodeB or a Radio Network Controller, and the other network device is a gateway or a support node.

16. The computing unit of claim 14, wherein the data processing unit is further configured to run the executable codes corresponding to the virtual switch such that to forward the data flow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel, according to one or more predetermined traffic management rules.

17. A computer readable medium non-transitory storing executable codes which, when executed on a computer having a mobile network interface and one or more processors, make the computer perform a method comprising:

establishing

a first tunnel between the device and a node of a mobile network to receive a data flow from a user terminal via the first tunnel, and

a second tunnel between the device and another network device of the mobile network to forward the data flow,

the first tunnel and the second tunnel operating according to Internet protocols;

connecting the first tunnel to the second tunnel using a virtual switch running on the device; and

connecting a virtual machine running on the device to the virtual switch, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service by processing data in the data flow.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

breaking an existing tunnel between the node and the another device, wherein the breaking of the existing tunnel, the establishing of the first tunnel and the second channel and the connecting using the virtual switch trigger no change in the another device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17,

wherein the data flow includes GPRS packets and the Internet protocols are included in the GTP, and

wherein the mobile network is an LTE system, the node is an eNodeB or a Radio Network Controller, and the other network device is a Serving Gateway, a Packet Data Network Gateway or a General Packet Radio Service Support Node.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the virtual switch operates to forward the data flow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel, according to one or more predetermined traffic management rules.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the virtual switch is connected to Internet, and the method further comprises forwarding the data flow from the first tunnel to the second tunnel while performing, according to the one or more predetermined traffic management rules, at least one of breaking-out the data flow and breaking-in the data flow one or more traffic flows to or from Internet.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more predetermined traffic management rules include at least one of:

directing a first part of the data flow to a first network device and a second part of the data flow to a second network device,

attributing a higher priority to a third part of the data flow than a priority attributed to a fourth part of the data flow, and

forwarding a fifth part of the data flow at a predetermined minimum speed.

23. A device in a mobile network, the device comprising:

a mobile network interface configured to enable the device to communicate to a computing unit;

a data processing unit configured

to provide information to a switch controller for configuring a virtual switch running on the computing unit to operate as a GTP tunnel end point, and

to redirect a network node and another network device that have initially been connected via a GTP tunnel, to connect via a first GTP tunnel and a second GTP tunnel to the computing unit, respectively,

wherein the computing unit (A) receives a data flow from a user terminal via the first tunnel, (B) forwards the data flow via the second tunnel, the first tunnel being connected to the second tunnel by the virtual switch, and (C) connects a virtual machine running on the computing unit to the virtual switch, the virtual machine being configured to provide a service by processing data in the data flow.