Method and Apparatus for Managing Virtual Networks via Cloud Hosted Application

• US 20160080172A1
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Engreen, Inc. (ViaSat Incorporated)
• Inventors: Uberoy, Pawan, Madhav, Praveen
• Granted Patent: US 9,722,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 41/0843 based on generic templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a cloud hosted application able to manage virtual network (“VN”) is disclosed. In one embodiment, a process of managing VN using virtual machines (“VMs”) receives a message or request from a user requesting a new VN to be built. The request is sent from a dashboard to a network orchestrator via a communication network. The orchestrator is a VN manager able to facilitate building a VN based on users'"'"' input. In one aspect, the orchestrator provides a set of templates that represent VN devices or components to users for facilitating construction of VN. After configuring a VN, a cloud capable of hosting the network is selected. The network or VN is subsequently launched using at least a portion of computing resources allocated in the cloud.

Claims

1. A method for managing network, comprising:

receiving a first request for building a first network from a first dashboard by an orchestrator via a first communication network;

providing a plurality of templates representing at least a portion of virtual network devices via the first dashboard; and

configuring the first network having at least one virtual machine (“

VM”

) for performing a network function in response to a first input entered by a first user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a cloud capable of hosting a communications network; and

launching the first network utilizing at least a portion of resources in the cloud.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising permitting a predefined group of users to clone the first network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request for building a second network via a second dashboard by the network orchestrator via a second communication network; and

providing the plurality of templates representing at least a portion of virtual network devices via the second dashboard.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising configuring the second network having at least one VM for performing a network function in response to a second input entered by a second user.

6. The method of claim 1, where providing a plurality of templates representing at least a portion of virtual network devices includes displaying a list of icons representing one of a virtual router, a virtual database, a virtual switch, and a virtual connection.

7. The method of claim 1, where configuring the first network having at least one virtual machines (“

VM”

) includes allowing a user to access at least a portion of templates hosted by the network orchestrator to build a hybrid network containing at least one VM performing a network function and a physical machine performing a network function.

8. The method of claim 1, where configuring the first network having at least one virtual machines (“

VM”

) includes allowing a user to access at least a portion of templates hosted by the orchestrator to build a virtual network containing a plurality of VMs.

9. The method of claim 1, where configuring the first network having at least one virtual machine (“

VM”

) includes building a virtual network utilizing some VMs in the private network cloud and some VMs in a public network cloud.

10. The method of claim 3, where permitting a predefined group of users to clone the first network includes posting the first network facilitated by the orchestrator to a plurality of dashboards.

11. The method of claim 10, where permitting a predefined group of users to clone the first network includes allowing one of the predefined group of users to copy the first network.

12. A communication network having virtual machines (“

VMs”

), comprising;

a first private network cloud able to provide network services to a plurality of remote users, the first private network cloud configured to contain a plurality of servers and at least one end host manager (“

ehm”

) situated in one of the plurality of servers;

a public network cloud coupled to the first private network cloud and configured to provide cloud computing service to remote users; and

an orchestrator coupled to the first private network cloud, the public network cloud, and the plurality of users, wherein the orchestrator is able to manage VMs located in the first private network cloud in response to a request from one of the plurality of remote users.

13. The network of claim 12, wherein the orchestrator includes a plurality of dashboards configured to communicate with a plurality of subscribers via a network.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the orchestrator is able to a plurality of icons on the dashboards, wherein the plurality of icons is a set of templates representing a plurality of network devices.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein the orchestrator is able to assist establishing a virtual network based on at least a portion of the templates in response to input from the subscriber via the dashboard.

16. The network of claim 12, wherein the public cloud is able to provide cloud computing to facilitate VMs based on user'"'"'s input.

17. The network of claim 12, further includes a second private cloud coupled to the orchestrator and able to provide cloud computing using at least one VM and at least one physical server situated in the second private network cloud.

18. The network of claim 12, wherein the orchestrator is configured to allowing one of the plurality of subscribers to clone an established network containing a group of VMs operating in one or more clouds.

19. A method for managing virtual network (“

VN”

), comprising;

monitoring system performance associated with a configured VN based on a plurality of first virtual machines (“

VMs”

) running in at a first cloud

issuing a scale-up request in accordance with the system performance;

identifying a separable virtual network device from the configured VN; and

launching a second VM in a second cloud to enhance system performance associated with the configured VN.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first cloud and the second cloud are the same cloud.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving performance status from a plurality of VMs executing functions of the configured VN.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

issuing a scale-down request in accordance with the system performance;

identifying a combinable VN device from the configured VN; and

releasing a VM executing instruction based on the combinable VN device.