Smart client routing

• US 8,650,326 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rangegowda, Dharshan, Dongale, Prashant J., Dar, Sufian A., Viswanathan, Ram
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US12/616,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 709226-229, 709238-245
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/686 using dual-stack hosts, e.g. in Internet protocol version 4 [IPv4]/Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Architecture that facilitates communications between two network nodes of the different networks by providing a routing mechanism that uses alternative modalities driven entirely by policies that are authored and stored in a computing cloud and enforced on the client. This allows the selection of one network path over another path based on criteria such as, physical location of the hosts and service level agreements (SLAs) to be provided, for example. With respect for path selection, a packet can be routed through a datacenter closest to the hosts. With respect to SLAs, there may be different SLAs available to different clients. For clients with the highest bandwidth/uptime or other guarantees, a network path different from other types of clients can be selected. Additionally, connectivity can be allowed or disallowed based on other kinds of policy rules such as a virtual circle to which the hosts may belong.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented connectivity system, comprising:

a local node comprising a processing unit coupled to a memory, the local node further comprising;

a resolution component of the local node that attempts resolution of identification information of a remote node to which connectivity is intended, using a resolution call;

a translation component of the local node that intercepts the resolution call and translates the resolution call into a web service call to a resource; and

a policy component of the local node that receives a policy and establishes a connection between the local node and the remote node based on the policy by, based on the received policy, informing a name resolver of the local node of an address to be used for the connection and setting a routing table on a virtual adapter of the local node to enable use of a desired connection, wherein based on the received policy a destination address of the remote node and a source address of the local node are exposed by the virtual adapter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy received is selected based on the identification information which is a name of the remote node and the resolution call which is a name resolution call.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy facilitates creation of the connection by selection of one network path over another network path.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy facilitates creation of the connection based on at least one of physical location of the local node or physical location of the remote node relative to a datacenter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy facilitates creation of the connection based on a service level agreement.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy facilitates creation of the connection based on a virtual circle to which at least one of the local node or the remote node is associated.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy component configures the connectivity to the remote node through a relay server.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an authoring component for authoring the policy that includes connectivity rules for establishing communications between the local and remote nodes, and storing the policy.

9. A computer-implemented connectivity system, comprising:

a local node comprising a processing unit coupled to a memory, the local node further comprising;

a resolution component of a the local node that attempts name resolution of a remote node to which connectivity is intended, using a name resolution call;

a translation component of the local node that intercepts the name resolution call and translates the name resolution call into a cloud-based web service call to a resource of a computing cloud; and

a policy component of the local node that receives a policy from the computing cloud and establishes a connection between the local node and the remote node based on the policy by, based on the received policy, informing a name resolver of the local node of an address to be used for the connection and setting a routing table on a virtual adapter of the local node to enable use of a desired connection, wherein based on the received policy a destination address of the remote node and a source address of the local node are exposed by the virtual adapter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy is processed to establish the connection by selection of one network path over another network path as defined by one or more policy rules.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy is processed to establish creation of the connection based on at least one of physical location of the local node or physical location of the remote node relative to a datacenter, based on a service level agreement, based on association of at least one of the local node or the remote node to a virtual circle.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising an authoring component for authoring the policy that includes connectivity rules for establishing communications between the local and remote nodes, and storing the policy in the cloud.

13. A computer-implemented host connectivity method, comprising:

at a local host, attempting to resolve identification information of a remote host to which connectivity is intended, using a resolution call;

sending the identification information to a cloud-based resource of a computing cloud;

receiving policy information from the cloud-based resource; and

connecting the local host to the remote host based on the policy information by, based on the received policy, informing a name resolver of the local node of an address to be used for the connection and setting a routing table on a virtual adapter of the local node to enable use of a desired connection, wherein based on the received policy a destination address of the remote node and a source address of the local node are exposed by the virtual adapter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising intercepting the resolution call on the local host for transmission to the cloud-based resource.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising translating the resolution call into a cloud-based web service call at the local host for transmission to the cloud based resource.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising defining network costs for utilizing specific networks in the policy information for processing by the local host.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting a routing path to the remote host based on the policy information.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining a routing path from the policy information; and

enabling connectivity to a protocol service based on the routing path.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising assigning the local host to a virtual circle in the computing cloud on which the remote host is a part.