SYSTEM AND METHOD OF NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM CONTAINERS

• US 20180248770A1
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Arista Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Arista Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Regmi, Sudip, Srinivasan, Udayakumar, Duda, Kenneth James, Sinha, Anirban
• Application Number:
  US15/626,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20180248770A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/563 Software download or update
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

A method and apparatus of a network element that processes control plane data in a network element is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the device receives control plane data with a network element operating system, where at least a functionality of the network element operating system is executing in a container of the network element. In addition, the network element includes a data plane with a plurality of hardware tables and the host operating system. Furthermore, the network element processes the control plane data with the network element operating system. The network element additionally updates at least one of the plurality of hardware tables with the process control plane data using the network element operating system.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more processing units to perform a method to process control plane data in a network element, the method comprising:

receiving control plane data by a network element operating system of the network element, wherein at least a functionality of the network element operating system is executing in a container of the network element, the network element including a data plane with a plurality of hardware tables and the host operating system; and

processing the control plane data by the network element operating system.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

updating, by the network element operating system, at least one of the plurality of hardware tables with the processed control plane data.

2-1. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein vendors of the network element operating system and the host operating system are different.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein vendors of the network element operating system and the network element are different.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network element operating system updates the at least one of the plurality of hardware tables using a device driver.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of hardware tables is selected from the group consisting of a routing table, a media access control address table, and an access control list.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network element further includes a control plane, wherein the network element operating system is part of the control plane.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the network element operating system is isolated and the host operating system is accessible to devices other than the network element.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the host operating system is isolated.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the network element operating system manages a physical management interface of the network element.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

bridging the physical management interface to a virtual interface associated with the container.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein each of the network element operating system and the host operating system are visible to other devices.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a third-party process executes within the container.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more processing units to perform a method to process control plane data in a network element, the method comprising:

receiving control plane data by at least one of a plurality of processes of a network element operating system of the network element, wherein the plurality of processes is executing in a plurality of containers of the network element, the network element including a data plane with a plurality of hardware tables;

processing the control plane data by the at least one of the plurality of processes; and

updating, by the at least one of the plurality of processes, at least one of the plurality of hardware tables with the processed control plane data.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein vendors of the network element operating system and the host operating system are different.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein vendors of the network element operating system and the network element are different.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of processes is selected for the group consisting of a routing agent, a policy agent, fan agent, light emitting diode agent, temperature sensor agent, database process, management processes, and process manager.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein a routing agent is selected from the group consisting of a Border Gateway Protocol agent, Open Shortest Path First routing agent, multicast routing agent, and Routing Information Base Agent

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the network element operating system updates the at least one of the plurality of hardware tables using a device driver.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein a container is namespace instance of an operating-system level virtualization.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein a third-party process executes within the container.