Method and apparatus for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network

• US 7,415,512 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moon, Billy G
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US09/864,795
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/227, 709/229, 709238-240, 370/254, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/469
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/56 Routing software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network are disclosed. A virtual machine is configured on a router to include a set of parameters. The virtual machine receives logic from a remote site and verifies that it may host the logic based on the parameters created during configuration.

Claims

1. A method for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network, comprising:

configuring a virtual machine on a router with a plurality of parameters, the parameters including a plurality of authorized credentials, wherein the parameters include a first lifecycle policy;

determining an address associated with a remote site;

retrieving logic and logic credentials from the remote site using the determined address;

comparing the authorized credentials with the logic credentials to verify that the virtual machine may host the logic;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

updating a version of the logic on the virtual machine based on the second lifecycle policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include a processing resource allocated to execute the logic on the virtual machine and further comprising determining whether the processing resource is available to execute the logic to verify that the virtual machine may host the logic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include a first lifecycle policy and further comprising:

determining an address associated with the remote site;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

determining if the logic on the virtual machine is accessible by a remote service based on the second lifecycle policy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include a first lifecycle policy and further comprising:

determining an address associated with the remote site;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

executing the logic on the virtual machine based on usage criteria in the second lifecycle policy.

5. A router comprising:

a processor; and

a virtual machine coupled to the processor, the virtual machine configured to host logic acquired from a remote site and operable to verify whether the processor may execute the acquired logic, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to;

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the acquired logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

determine if the logic is accessible by a remote service based on the second lifecycle policy.

6. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to generate a plurality of authorized credentials.

7. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

generate a plurality of authorized credentials;

retrieve logic credentials for the logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

compare the logic credentials with the authorized credentials to verify that the processor may execute the acquired logic.

8. The router of claim 5, further comprising the virtual machine operable to allocate the processor to execute the logic.

9. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

allocate the processor to execute the logic; and

determine if the processor is available to execute the logic.

10. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

alter the first lifecycle policy if the second lifecycle policy includes different constraints than the first lifecycle policy.

11. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

update a version of the logic based on the second lifecycle policy.

12. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the acquired logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

execute the logic based on usage criteria included in the second lifecycle policy.

13. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to:

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the acquired logic by determining an address associated with the remote site;

retrieve a manifest for the logic based on the address, the manifest including a configurable object needed to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

update the logic if the second lifecycle policy includes a new version of the configurable object.

14. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine comprises a virtual interface including an address.

15. The router of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine comprises a virtual service accessible from one or more addresses.

16. Logic encoded in media for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on network, the logic operable to perform the following steps:

configuring a virtual machine on a router with a plurality of parameters;

provisioning a first lifecycle policy for the virtual machine;

receiving, from a remote site, logic associated with a desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine;

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration;

determining an address associated with the remote site;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site based on the determined address; and

updating a version of the logic on the virtual machine based the second lifecycle policy.

17. The logic of claim 16, further comprising:

allocating a processing resource operable to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

determining whether the processing resource is available to execute the logic.

18. The logic of claim 16, further comprising:

assigning a plurality of authorized credentials to the virtual machine;

determining an address associated with the remote site;

retrieving logic credentials for the logic from the remote site based on the determined address; and

comparing the authorized credentials with the logic credentials.

19. The logic of claim 16, further comprising:

executing the logic based on usage criteria included in the second lifecycle policy.

20. The logic of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if the logic on the virtual machine is accessible by a remote service based on the second lifecycle policy.

21. The logic of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a manifest for the logic from the remote logic; and

updating the logic if the second lifecycle policy includes a new version of a configurable object.

22. An apparatus for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network, comprising:

means for configuring a virtual machine on a router with a plurality of parameters;

means for provisioning a first lifecycle policy for the virtual machine;

means for receiving, from a remote site, logic associated with a desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises means for determining an address associated with the remote site; and

means for verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration comprises;

means for retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

means for altering the first lifecycle policy if the second lifecycle policy includes different constraints than the first lifecycle policy.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for assigning a plurality of authorized credentials to the virtual machine;

means for determining an address associated with the remote site;

means for retrieving logic credentials for the logic from the remote site based on the determined address; and

means for comparing the authorized credentials with the logic credentials.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for allocating a processing resource operable to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

means for determining whether the processing resource is available to execute the logic.

25. A method for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network, comprising:

configuring a virtual machine on a router with a plurality of parameters, wherein configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises provisioning a first lifecycle policy for the virtual machine;

receiving, from a remote site, logic associated with a desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises determining an address associated with the remote site; and

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration comprises;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

altering the first lifecycle policy if the second lifecycle policy includes different constraints than the first lifecycle policy.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving, from a remote site, the logic associated with a desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises:

determining an address associated with the remote site; and

retrieving a manifest for the logic from the remote site using the determined address, the manifest including a configurable object needed to execute the logic on the virtual machine.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises allocating a processing resource operable to execute the logic on the virtual machine.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein:

configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises allocating a processing resource operable to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic based on the parameters created during configuration comprises determining whether the processing resource is available to execute the logic.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises assigning a plurality of authorized credentials to the virtual machine.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein:

configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises assigning a plurality of authorized credentials to the virtual machine;

receiving, from the remote site, the logic associated with the desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises determining an address associated with the remote site; and

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration comprises;

retrieving logic credentials for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

comparing the authorized credentials with the logic credentials.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein:

receiving, from the remote site, the logic associated with the desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises;

determining an address associated with the remote site; and

retrieving a manifest for the logic from the remote site using the determined address, the manifest including a configurable object needed to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration comprises;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

updating the logic if the second lifecycle policy includes a new version of the configurable object.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the virtual machine comprises a virtual interface including an address.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the virtual machine comprises a virtual service including a plurality of addresses.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

loading default configuration parameters for the router; and

receiving a provisioning message to configure the virtual machine on the router.

35. A method for providing a general purpose computing platform at a router on a network, comprising:

configuring a virtual machine on a router with a plurality of parameters, wherein configuring the virtual machine on the router with the parameters comprises provisioning a first lifecycle policy for the virtual machine;

receiving, from a remote site, logic associated with a desired service to execute the desired service at the virtual machine comprises;

determining an address associated with the remote site; and

retrieving a manifest for the logic from the remote site using the determined address, the manifest including a configurable object needed to execute the logic on the virtual machine; and

verifying that the virtual machine may host the logic and execute the desired service based on the parameters created during configuration comprises;

retrieving a second lifecycle policy for the logic from the remote site using the determined address; and

updating the logic if the second lifecycle policy includes a new version of the configurable object.

36. A router comprising:

a processor; and

a virtual machine coupled to the processor, the virtual machine configured to host logic acquired from a remote site and operable to verify whether the processor may execute the acquired logic, wherein the virtual machine is further operable to;

provision a first lifecycle policy;

retrieve a second lifecycle policy for the acquired logic by determining an address associated with the remote site; and

execute the logic based on usage criteria included in the second lifecycle policy.