ENABLEMENT OF MULTI-PATH ROUTING IN VIRTUAL EDGE SYSTEMS

• US 20180139122A1
• Filed: 01/23/2017
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: BANGALORE KRISHNAMURTHY, SUDHEENDRA
• Granted Patent: US 10,700,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

The technology disclosed herein enables multi-path routing in virtual edge systems of a virtual network environment. In a particular embodiment, a method provides establishing a connection for a communication with a client outside of the virtual network environment through a first virtual edge system of a plurality of virtual edge systems. The method further provides generating state information about the connection that indicates properties of the connection with respect to the first virtual edge system and updating a state information base of the first virtual edge system with the state information. Also, the method provides transferring the state information to one or more other virtual edge systems of the plurality of virtual edge systems and updating respective state information bases of the one or more other virtual edge systems with the state information.

Claims

1. A method of enabling multi-path routing in virtual edge systems of a virtual network environment, the method comprising:

establishing a connection for a communication with a client outside of the virtual network environment through a first virtual edge system of a plurality of virtual edge systems;

generating state information about the connection that indicates properties of the connection with respect to the first virtual edge system;

updating a state information base of the first virtual edge system with the state information;

transferring the state information to one or more other virtual edge systems of the plurality of virtual edge systems; and

updating respective state information bases of the one or more other virtual edge systems with the state information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

handling traffic directed to the client for the communication through the one or more other virtual edge systems based on the state information in the same manner as the first virtual edge system would.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a virtual router directs the traffic from a virtual application server to the first virtual edge system and the one or more other virtual edge systems for handling.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the state information to initiate a handshake between each of the one or more other virtual edge systems and the client to establish respective connections with the client through each of the one or more other virtual edge systems; and

routing traffic for the communication through the one or more other virtual edge systems to the client over the respective connections.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection comprises a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein establishing the TCP connection comprises, in the first virtual edge system:

receiving a TCP synchronize (SYN) message from the client that indicates a source port and a destination port, wherein the source port and the destination port are included in the state information;

responding to the TCP SYN message with a TCP SYN-acknowledge (ACK) message; and

receiving a TCP ACK message from the client in response to the TCP SYN-ACK message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the state information comprises:

transferring the state information to a controller of the plurality of virtual edge systems;

in the controller, identifying the one or more virtual edge systems from the plurality of virtual edge systems as virtual edge systems configured for multi-path routing; and

transferring the state information from the controller to the one or more other virtual edge systems.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the controller comprises a virtual machine separate from the plurality of virtual edge systems.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information is transferred over a control plane channel employed by the controller and the plurality of virtual edge devices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual edge system and the one or more other virtual edge systems include respective firewalls that identify traffic for the communication from the state information and allow the traffic to pass.

11. A system hosting a first virtual edge system to enable multi-path routing in virtual edge systems of a virtual network environment, the system comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

a processing system operatively coupled with the one or more computer readable storage media; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media that, when read and executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to;

establish a connection for a communication with a client outside of the virtual network environment through the first virtual edge system of a plurality of virtual edge systems;

generate state information about the connection that indicates properties of the connection with respect to the first virtual edge system; and

update a state information base of the first virtual edge system with the state information;

transfer the state information to one or more other virtual edge systems of the plurality of virtual edge systems, wherein the one or more virtual edge systems update their respective state information bases with the state information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

handle traffic directed to the client for the communication through the one or more other virtual edge systems based on the state information in the same manner as the first virtual edge system would.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a virtual router directs the traffic from a virtual application server to the first virtual edge system and the one or more other virtual edge systems for handling.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:

use the state information to initiate a handshake between each of the one or more other virtual edge systems and the client to establish respective connections with the client through each of the one or more other virtual edge systems; and

route traffic for the communication through the one or more other virtual edge systems to the client over the respective connections.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the connection comprises a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein to establish the TCP connection the program instructions direct the processing system to:

receive a TCP synchronize (SYN) message from the client that indicates a source port and a destination port, wherein the source port and the destination port are included in the state information;

respond to the TCP SYN message with a TCP SYN-acknowledge (ACK) message; and

receive a TCP ACK message from the client in response to the TCP SYN-ACK message.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein to transfer the state information the program instructions direct the processing system to:

transfer the state information to a controller of the plurality of virtual edge systems; and

wherein the controller identifies the one or more virtual edge systems from the plurality of virtual edge systems as virtual edge systems configured for multi-path routing and transfers the state information from the controller to the one or more other virtual edge systems.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller comprises a virtual machine separate from the plurality of virtual edge systems.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the state information is transferred over a control plane channel employed by the controller and the plurality of virtual edge devices.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the first virtual edge system and the one or more other virtual edge systems include respective firewalls that identify traffic for the communication from the state information and allow the traffic to pass.