Highly scalable data center architecture with address resolution protocol (ARP)-free servers

• US 8,601,133 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Rainovic, George, Pandey, Chandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US12/967,136
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

A network device establishes a logical channel with each server device of multiple server devices, where each logical channel is not shared with another server device of the multiple server devices. The network device also determines a network loopback Internet protocol (IP) address for each server device of the multiple server devices, and associates each network loopback IP address with a corresponding logical channel. The network device further receives a packet destined for a particular server device, and provides the packet to the particular server device via the logical channel associated with the particular server device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a network device, logical communication channels between a plurality of server devices and the network device,

a particular logical communication channel, of the logical communication channels, being dedicated to a particular server device of the plurality of server devices, and

the particular logical communication channel being not shared with any other server device of the plurality of server devices;

determining, by the network device, network loopback Internet protocol (IP) addresses for the plurality of server devices;

associating, by the network device, the network loopback IP addresses with the logical communication channels;

receiving, by the network device, a packet;

replicating, by the network device, the packet to obtain multiple packets;

adding, by the network device and to a first packet of the multiple packets, a first logical communication channel identifier associated with the particular logical communication channel,

the first logical communication channel identifier including a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag associated with the particular logical communication channel;

adding, by the network device and to a second packet of the multiple packets, a second logical communication channel identifier associated with another logical communication channel of the logical communication channels;

providing, by the network device, the first packet to the particular server device via the particular logical communication channel and based on the first logical communication channel identifier; and

providing, by the network device, the second packet via the other logical communication channel and based on the second logical communication channel identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, where the packet includes one of:

an Internet protocol (IP) version 4 (IPv4) network address, or

an IP version 6 (IPv6) network address.

3. The method of claim 1, where the particular logical communication channel uses a dedicated physical link between the particular server device and the network device.

4. The method of claim 1, where the particular logical communication channel shares one or more physical links with the other logical communication channel.

5. The method of claim 1, where the particular logical communication channel defines a point-to-point link between the network device and the particular server device.

6. The method of claim 1, where the network device provides the first packet and the second packet without using or maintaining an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table.

7. The method of claim 1,

where the network loopback IP addresses are provisioned in operating systems of the plurality of server devices,

where the network loopback IP addresses include a particular loopback network address that is provisioned in an operating system, of the operating systems, of the particular server device, and

where the method further comprises:

receiving, from the particular server device, a particular packet that includes the particular loopback network address.

8. A network device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor to;

establish logical channels between the plurality of server devices and the network device,

a particular logical channel, of the logical channels, being dedicated to a particular server device of the plurality of server devices, and

the particular logical channel being not shared with any other server device of the plurality of server devices,

determine network loopback Internet protocol (IP) addresses for the plurality of server devices,

associate the network loopback IP addresses with the logical channels,

receive a packet,

replicate the packet to obtain multiple packets,

add, to a first packet of the multiple packets, a first logical channel identifier associated with the particular logical channel,

the first logical channel identifier including a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag identifying a VLAN associated with the particular logical channel,

add, to a second packet of the multiple packets, a second logical channel identifier associated with another logical channel of the logical channels,

provide the first packet to the particular server device via the particular logical channel and based on the first logical channel identifier, and

provide the second packet via the other logical channel and based on the second logical channel identifier.

9. The network device of claim 8, where the packet includes one of:

an Internet protocol (IP) version 4 (IPv4) network address, or

an IP version 6 (IPv6) network address.

10. The network device of claim 8, where the particular logical channel uses a physical link between the particular server device and the network device.

11. The network device of claim 8, where the particular logical channel shares one or more physical links with the other logical channel.

12. The network device of claim 8, where the particular logical channel defines a point-to-point link between the network device and the particular server device.

13. The network device of claim 8, where the network device provides the first packet without a media access control (MAC) address being maintained for the particular server device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a device, cause the at least one processor to;

establish logical communication channels between a plurality of virtual machines and the device,

a particular logical communication channel, of the logical communication channels, being dedicated to a particular virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines, and

the particular logical communication channel being not shared with any other virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines;

determine network loopback Internet protocol (IP) addresses for the plurality of virtual machines;

associate the network loopback IP addresses with the logical communication channels;

receive a packet;

replicate the packet to obtain a first packet and a second packet;

add, to the first packet, a first identifier associated with the particular logical communication channel;

add, to the second packet, a second identifier associated with another logical communication channel of the logical communication channels;

provide the first packet, including the first identifier, to the particular virtual machine via the particular logical communication channel,

the first identifier including a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag associated with the particular virtual machine; and

provide the second packet via the other logical communication channel and based on the second identifier.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the packet includes one of:

an Internet protocol (IP) version 4 (IPv4) network address, or

an IP version 6 (IPv6) network address.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the particular logical communication channel defines a point-to-point link between the device and the particular virtual machine.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the particular logical communication channel uses a dedicated physical link.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the particular logical communication channel shares one or more physical links with the other logical communication channel.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where a hypervisor hosts the particular virtual machine and the other virtual machine.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the particular virtual machine and the other virtual machine use a same media access control (MAC) address.