Configuring intercommunications between computing nodes

• US 8,166,201 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, David R., Cohn, Daniel T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Katsikis, Kostas
• Application Number:
  US13/275,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 189 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/223, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/238
• 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 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Techniques are described for configuring intercommunications between multiple computing nodes, such as multiple virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems. In some situations, virtual networks may be established and maintained for groups of computing nodes, such as those operated by or on behalf of various users. Such virtual networks may be established in some situations by automatically configuring various communication manager modules to associate communications from a computing node belonging to a virtual network with one or more networking identifiers associated with the virtual network, such that other communication manager modules may appropriately forward or otherwise process such communications.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents upon execution configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

performing configurations to enable a software program executing on an indicated computing node to communicate with other computing nodes that are part of a virtual network spanning multiple physical networks, the performing of the configurations including;

configuring a communication manager module associated with the indicated computing node to manage outgoing communications from the indicated computing node by associating the outgoing communications with the virtual network and by sending the outgoing communications over a first physical network using a first networking protocol, the first physical network being one of the multiple physical networks; and

configuring at least one networking device of the first physical network to manage incoming communications that are received over the first physical network using the first networking protocol and are associated with the indicated virtual network, the managing of the incoming communications including forwarding the incoming communications using a distinct second networking protocol to at least one other of the multiple physical networks;

wherein the at least one networking device is one of one or more physical networking devices that are part of the first physical network and that are configured to use the first networking protocol,

wherein the configuring of the communication manager module associated with the indicated computing node includes identifying a first networking identifier based on the first networking protocol so that the sending of the outgoing communications over the first physical network includes modifying the outgoing communications to include the first networking identifier, and

wherein the configuring of the at least one networking device includes identifying a second networking identifier based on the second networking protocol so that the forwarding of the received communications includes modifying the forwarded communications to include the second networking identifier.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the indicated computing node is one of multiple computing nodes that are of the first physical network and is provided by one of multiple virtual machines hosted by a physical computing system connected to the first physical network, and wherein the communication manager module associated with the indicated computing node is a virtual machine manager module that executes on the physical computing system to manage communications by the multiple hosted virtual machines.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises determining the virtual network based at least in part on the software program.

4. A system comprising:

one or more processors of one or more computing devices; and

a system manager module configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, maintain a virtual network among multiple computing systems connected to multiple physical networks, the maintaining of the virtual network including;

configuring a virtual machine communication manager module executing on a first computing system of the multiple computing systems to associate communications by an indicated virtual machine hosted on the first computing system with the virtual network via use of a first networking identifier so that the communications by the indicated virtual machine are not made available to other computing systems that are not part of the virtual network, the first networking identifier being specific to the virtual network and to a first physical network of the multiple physical networks; and

configuring a communication manager module associated with the first physical network to forward received communications that use the first networking identifier to physical networks other than the first physical network in a manner associated with the virtual network, the forwarding of the received communications performed via use of a second networking identifier specific to the virtual network;

wherein the multiple physical network are connected via one or more second physical networks, and wherein the communication manager module is part of a networking device that connects the first physical network to the one or more second physical networks;

wherein the first networking identifier specific to the virtual network is based on a first networking protocol specific to the first physical network, and wherein the second networking identifier specific to the virtual network is a distinct networking identifier based on a distinct second networking protocol specific to the one or more second physical networks.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising the multiple computing systems that are connected to the multiple physical networks.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the first computing system is part of the first physical network and hosts multiple virtual machines that are each configurable to execute one or more programs, wherein the indicated virtual machine is one of the hosted multiple virtual machines, and wherein the virtual machine communication manager module is configured to manage communications of the hosted multiple virtual machines that are sent over the first physical network.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the first networking identifier specific to the virtual network and the second networking identifier specific to the virtual network are the same.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the system manager module is provided by a program execution service to maintain virtual networks on behalf of customers of the program execution service, and wherein the configuring of the virtual machine communication manager module is performed in response to a received indication that the indicated virtual machine is to be associated with the virtual network based on one of the customers initiating execution of one or more programs on the indicated virtual machine.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the system manager module includes software instructions for execution in memory of one or more computing systems.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein the system manager module consists of means for performing the maintaining of the virtual networks among the multiple computing systems.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the first networking identifier specific to the virtual network and the second networking identifier specific to the virtual network are the same.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more configured computing systems are part of a program execution service, wherein the virtual network is provided by the program execution service for a customer of the program execution service, and wherein the determining to associate the indicated computing node with the virtual network is based on the customer initiating execution of one or more programs on the indicated computing node.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the indicated computing node is one of multiple virtual machines hosted by a physical computing system on the first physical network, and wherein the communication manager module is a virtual machine manager module that executes on the physical computing system to manage communications by the multiple hosted virtual machines.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising initiating execution of a software program on the indicated computing node, and wherein the outgoing communications from the indicated computing node are communications sent from the executing software program to other software programs executing on other of the multiple computing nodes of the virtual network.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the configuring of the communication manager module to associate the first networking identifier with the outgoing communications includes configuring the communication manager module to modify the outgoing communications to include the first networking identifier, and wherein the configuring of the at least one networking devices to associate the second networking identifier with the incoming communications includes configuring the at least one networking devices to modify the incoming communications to include the second networking identifier.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising forwarding one or more outgoing communications from the indicated computing node to the first physical network via the configured communication manager module and from the first physical network to at least one other of the multiple physical networks via the configured at least one networking devices.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining to associate the indicated computing node with the virtual network is performed as part of provisioning the indicated computing node to execute one or more indicated programs.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the at least one networking devices is a router configured to provide a gateway between the first physical network and an interconnection network that interconnects at least some of the multiple physical networks.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the first networking identifier is based on a first networking protocol used by the first physical network, the first networking protocol being at least one of a group that includes a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tagging protocol, an Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC) protocol, a Layer 2 Tunneling (L2TP) protocol, a Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) protocol, an Internet Protocol in Internet Protocol (IP in IP) encapsulation protocol, a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), a Virtual Private Local Area Networking Services (VPLS) protocol, and a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the second networking identifier is based on a second networking protocol distinct from the first networking protocol that is used for the forwarding of the incoming communications to the at least one other of the multiple physical networks, the second networking protocol being at least one of a group that includes a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tagging protocol, an Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC) protocol, a Layer 2 Tunneling (L2TP) protocol, a Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) protocol, an Internet Protocol in Internet Protocol (IP in IP) encapsulation protocol, a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), a Virtual Private Local Area Networking Services (VPLS) protocol, and a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by one or more configured computing systems, to associate an indicated computing node with a virtual network that has multiple computing nodes on multiple physical networks, the indicated computing node being connected to a first of the multiple physical networks that includes one or more networking devices;

configuring, by the one or more configured computing systems, a communication manager module to manage outgoing communications from the indicated computing node to the first physical network by associating a first networking identifier specific to the virtual network with the outgoing communications; and

configuring, by the one or more configured computing systems, at least one of the one or more networking devices to manage incoming communications that are received over the first physical network and are associated with the first networking identifier, the managing of the incoming communications including associating a second networking identifier specific to the virtual network with the incoming communications before forwarding the incoming communications to at least one other of the multiple physical networks;

wherein the multiple physical networks are connected via one or more second physical networks that interconnect the multiple physical networks, and wherein the at least one of the one or more networking devices connects the first physical network to the one or more second physical networks;

wherein the first networking identifier specific to the virtual network is based on a first networking protocol specific to the first physical network, and wherein the second networking identifier specific to the virtual network is a distinct networking identifier based on a distinct second networking protocol specific to the one or more second physical networks.