DATA TRAFFIC POLICY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20160094461A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shetty, Sudhir Vittal, Chawla, Gaurav, White, Joseph L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

An information handling system (IHS) network includes a switch IHS that coupled together a plurality of server IHSs. A source software-defined (SD) virtual appliance is located on one of the plurality of server IHSs. A destination SD virtual appliance is located on one of the plurality of server IHSs. An SD network controller is located on at least one of the plurality of server IHSs. The SD network controller is configured to receive a data traffic flow identifier and policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy from the source SD virtual appliance. The SD network controller determines a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier. The SD network controller then configures each of the plurality of ports using the at least one data traffic flow policy.

Claims

1. A data traffic policy management system, comprising:

a physical server IHS chassis;

a network interface controller that is located in the physical server IHS chassis;

a software-defined (SD) network controller that is located in the physical server IHS chassis and that is coupled to the network interface controller, wherein the SD network controller is configured to;

receive, through the network interface controller from a source SD virtual appliance, a data traffic flow identifier and policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy;

determine a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and a destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configure each of the plurality of ports using the at least one data traffic flow policy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the SD network controller is configured to:

retrieve the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is received from the source SD virtual appliance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that identifies the SD network controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are included in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the SD network controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

7. An information handling system (IHS) network, comprising:

a switch IHS;

a plurality of server IHSs coupled to the switch IHS;

a source software-defined (SD) virtual appliance located on one of the plurality of server IHSs;

a destination SD virtual appliance located on one of the plurality of server IHSs; and

an SD network controller located on at least one of the plurality of server IHSs, wherein the SD network controller is configured to;

receive, from the source SD virtual appliance, a data traffic flow identifier and policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy;

determine a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configure each of the plurality of ports using the at least one data traffic flow policy.

8. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the SD network controller is configured to:

retrieve the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

9. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance.

10. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance and included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that identifies the SD network controller.

11. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with the SD network controller.

12. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

13. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy includes a quality of service policy.

14. A method for managing data traffic policies, comprising:

receiving, by a software-defined (SD) network controller provided on a server IHS from a source SD virtual appliance, a data traffic flow identifier and policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy;

determine, by the SD network controller, a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and a destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configure, by the SD network controller, each of the plurality of ports using the at least one data traffic flow policy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance and included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that identifies the SD network controller.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with the SD network controller

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy includes a quality of service policy.