Method and apparatus for dynamically determining connection establishment mechanism based on the relative locations

• US 8,683,047 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Han, Zhu, Liang, Zhiyong, Shao, Ling, Zheng, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): BIAGINI, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US12/499,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for dynamically determining a connection establishment mechanism between virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs. The apparatus includes a communication agent unit for receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs, a control unit for determining the connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages and a controlling mechanism to establish a connection between the VMs according to the determined connection establishment mechanism. The method includes receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs, determining the connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages, and establishing a connection between the VMs according to the determined connection establishment mechanism.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dynamically establishing a connection between a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory that together implement:

(a) a communication agent unit configured to receive messages relating to the locations of the VMs;

(b) a control unit configured to;

(i) determine a connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages, and (ii) control the establishment of a connection between the VMs based upon the determined connection establishment mechanism, whereby the connection is dynamically established;

(c) a determination engine unit configured to determine connection information to be transmitted by one of the connection establishment mechanisms; and

a repository configured to store, for use in connection with dynamically establishing the connection, information about each of the VMs in the form of a triple (VMID, VMIP, HVID), wherein VMID corresponds to a unique ID for each VM, wherein VMIP corresponds to an IP address of each VM and wherein HVID corresponds to a unique ID for each associated virtualization layer;

wherein said control unit is further configured to determine;

a light weight protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on the same physical host, wherein the light weight protocol excludes checksum, in order delivery and congestion control; and

a TCP/IP protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on different physical hosts.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory together further implement:

a data multiplexer configured to attach the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection under the control of said control unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit further comprises:

a register table for recording information on each connection, wherein said information includes;

(i) the numbers of packets which have been transmitted and received; and

(ii) at least one of identifiers (IDs), IP addresses, and port numbers of the VMs on the two ends of the connection.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating whether the VMs are on a same physical host or on different physical hosts.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information to be transmitted by the one of the connection establishment mechanisms comprises an initial sequence number and a sequential number;

wherein said initial sequence number is one of a hash value based on a network time protocol value, the IP address of a migrated VM and a default value; and

wherein said sequential number is the sum of the hash value and a number of packets transmitted/received.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination engine unit is configured to determine the hash value based on the network time protocol value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination engine unit is configured to determine the hash value based on the IP address of the migrated VM.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is further configured to execute a switch of the connection establishment mechanism when said control unit determines that a different connection establishment mechanism should be adopted based on at least one of the received messages.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control unit is further configured to execute the switch by:

causing said data multiplexer to lock the data to be transmitted/received;

establishing a connection according to the determined different connection establishment mechanism;

causing said data multiplexer to unlock the data; and

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

10. A method for dynamically establishing a connection between a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) based on locations of the VMs, the method comprising:

receiving messages relating to the locations of the VMs;

determining a connection establishment mechanism between the VMs based on the received messages;

establishing a connection between the VMs according to said determined connection establishment mechanism, whereby the connection is dynamically established;

determining connection information to be transmitted by one of the connection establishment mechanisms; and

storing, for use in connection with dynamically establishing the connection, information about each of the VMs in the form of a triple (VMID, VMIP, HVID), wherein VMID corresponds to a unique ID for each VM, wherein VMIP corresponds to an IP address of each VM and wherein HVID corresponds to a unique ID for each associated virtualization layer;

wherein the determining the connection establishment mechanism further determines;

a light weight protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on the same physical host, wherein the light weight protocol excludes checksum, in order delivery and congestion control; and

a TCP/IP protocol to be used as the connection establishment mechanism when the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating that the VMs are on different physical hosts.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the messages relating to the locations of the VMs comprise information indicating whether the VMs are on a same physical host or on different physical hosts.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

executing a switch of the connection establishment mechanism when it is determined that a different connection establishment mechanism should be adopted based on at least one of the received messages.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said executing step comprises:

locking the data to be transmitted/received;

establishing a connection according to said different connection establishment mechanism;

unlocking the data; and

attaching the data to be transmitted/received to the established connection.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

constructing a TCP/IP control block for the TCP/IP connection when the light weight protocol is switched to the TCP/IP protocol.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining the connection information to be transmitted comprises determining a hash value based on a network time protocol value.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining the connection information to be transmitted comprises determining a hash value based on an IP address of a migrated VM.