Private allocated networks over shared communications infrastructure

• US 8,619,771 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lambeth, Walter Andrew, Dalal, Anupam, Xiao, Jun, Deianov, Borislav
• Primary Examiner(s): O CONNOR, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/571,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/390, 370/392, 370/395.5
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and systems for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure are presented. One method operation creates virtual switches in one or more hosts in the virtual infrastructure. Each port in the virtual switches is associated with a private allocated network (PAN) from a group of possible PANs. In one embodiment, one or more PANs share the same physical media for data transmission. The intranet traffic within each PAN is not visible to nodes that are not connected to the each PAN. In another operation, the method defines addressing mode tables for the intranet traffic within each PAN. The entries in the addressing mode tables define addressing functions for routing the intranet traffic between the virtual switches, and different types of addressing functions are supported by the virtual switches.

Claims

1. A method for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of virtual switches in one or more hosts in the virtual infrastructure, wherein each port in the plurality of virtual switches is associated with a private allocated network (PAN) from a plurality of PANs, and wherein intranet traffic within each PAN is not visible to nodes that are not connected to said each PAN; and

defining, at a host in the one or more hosts, an addressing mode table for a virtual switch in the plurality of virtual switches, the addressing mode table being specific to a particular PAN in the plurality of PANs, wherein each entry in the addressing mode table defines an addressing function for forwarding intranet traffic between the virtual switch and other virtual switches in the particular PAN, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by the virtual switch and include a first type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the particular PAN located at a same host as the virtual switch, a second type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the particular PAN located at a different host on a same physical network as the virtual switch, and a third type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the particular PAN located at a different host on a different physical network from the virtual switch.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

converting all broadcasts in each PAN to multicasts.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different types of addressing functions supported by the virtual switch include direct delivery of packets between traffic destinations connected to the virtual switch, layer 2 address translation, and layer 3 encapsulation.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different types of addressing functions supported by the virtual switch include layer 2 encapsulation, wherein the layer 2 encapsulation adds a layer 2 header and a fence protocol data field to an original packet.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different types of addressing functions supported by the virtual switch include layer 3 encapsulation, wherein the layer 3 encapsulation adds a layer 2 header and a layer 3 header to an original packet.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a packet in a first PAN port at one of the virtual switches executing in a first host, the packet destined to a node connected in the first PAN and residing in a second host, wherein the first host does not have connectivity with the second host; and

forwarding the packet to a third host that has connectivity with the second host.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least two PANs share a same physical media for data transmission.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of PANs are implemented in hosts within the virtual infrastructure.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein assignment of ports to PANs in the virtual switches is performed by a central manager of the virtual infrastructure.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the central manager allocates a unique media access control (MAC) address to each port in the plurality of virtual switches.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the central manager defines addressing mode tables for the one or more hosts, the method further comprising:

sending the addressing mode tables to the corresponding hosts in the virtual infrastructure.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the one or more hosts builds and updates the corresponding addressing mode tables in the host, and wherein each host sends queries to other hosts to obtain information for the addressing mode tables in the host.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

migrating a virtual machine connected to a first virtual switch from a first host to a second host, wherein the virtual machine is connected to a port in the first virtual switch associated with a first PAN;

associating the migrated virtual machine with a second virtual switch in the second host, wherein the second virtual switch does not have support for the first PAN;

creating support for the first PAN in the second virtual switch; and

connecting the migrated virtual machine to the second virtual switch.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

terminating support for the first PAN in the first virtual switch if there are not any virtual machines from the first PAN left connected to the first virtual switch after the migrating.

15. A method for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the method comprising:

receiving, by a virtual switch in a host, a packet from a virtual machine executing on the host, the packet being sent from a network interface in the virtual machine connected to a private allocated network (PAN);

checking, by the virtual switch, an addressing mode table to determine an addressing function corresponding to a particular destination node for the packet, the addressing function being defined for forwarding intranet PAN traffic between the virtual switch and other virtual switches connected to the PAN, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by the virtual switch and include a first type of addressing function for destination nodes located at a same host as the virtual switch, a second type of addressing function for destination nodes located at a different host on a same physical network as the virtual switch, and a third type of addressing function for destination nodes located at a different host on a different physical network from the virtual switch, wherein each of the destination nodes is within the PAN; and

sending the packet to the particular destination node using the determined addressing function.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the different types of addressing functions supported by the virtual switch include direct delivery of packets between destination nodes connected to the virtual switch, layer 2 address translation, layer 3 encapsulation, and broadcast conversion to multicast.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein sending the packet to the destination node comprises:

fragmenting the packet into multiple packets when the packet is too large for encapsulation.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising, prior to the sending:

executing the determined addressing function by a forwarding engine of the virtual switch, wherein the sending is performed according to a result of the executing.

19. A virtual switch in a first host for implementing private allocated networks in a virtual infrastructure, the virtual switch comprising:

a first group of ports associated with a first private allocated network (PAN);

a second group of ports associated with a second PAN, wherein intranet traffic within the first PAN is not visible to nodes that are not directly connected to the first PAN; and

an addressing mode table for intranet traffic within the first PAN, wherein entries in the addressing mode table an define addressing functions for forwarding intranet traffic originated at the first group of ports, wherein a first addressing function corresponds to direct delivery for intranet traffic from the first group of ports to a virtual machine in the first host, wherein a second addressing function corresponds to layer 2 address translation for intranet traffic from the first group of ports to a virtual machine in a second host connected to the same physical media, and wherein a third addressing function corresponds to layer 3 encapsulation for intranet traffic from the first group of ports to a virtual machine in a third host not connected to the same physical media.

20. The virtual switch of claim 19, wherein an entry in the addressing mode table comprises:

a destination;

an addressing function for the destination; and

a replacement destination address.

21. The virtual switch of claim 19, wherein the virtual switch determines a PAN associated with a received packet.

22. The virtual switch of claim 21, wherein the virtual switch transforms the received packet to deliver the received packet in a same form as originally sent from another node within the determined PAN.

23. A system for network communications in a virtual infrastructure, the system comprising:

one or more physical networks; and

a plurality of hosts connected to the one or more physical networks, each host including;

a virtual switch, each port in the virtual switch being associated with one of a plurality of private allocated networks (PAN), wherein nodes in each PAN have a same network address associated with the PAN, wherein each port can be associated with any of the PANs, wherein intranet PAN traffic between two hosts on different physical networks travels through the two different physical networks, and

an addressing mode table for each PAN, wherein an entry in the addressing mode table defines an addressing function for forwarding intranet traffic for the PAN between the plurality of hosts, wherein different types of addressing functions are supported by the plurality of hosts and include a first type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the PAN located at a same host as the virtual switch, a second type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the PAN located at a different host on a same physical network as the virtual switch, and a third type of addressing function for traffic destinations within the PAN located at a different host on a different physical network from the virtual switch.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a virtual infrastructure controller that determines the association of each port to one of the plurality of PANs.