Virtual port grouping for virtual cluster switching

• US 8,989,186 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koganti, Phanidhar, Vobbilisetty, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): PARK, JUNG H
• Application Number:
  US13/092,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20110299534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• 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 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/76 Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port that couples to a server hosting a number of virtual machines. The switch also includes a set of virtual port grouping information and a virtual port grouping mechanism. During operation, the virtual port grouping mechanism determines whether a frame is traveling from a virtual port group to the same virtual port group. If the frame is not traveling to the same virtual port group, the virtual port grouping mechanism prevents the frame from being forwarded.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

storing in a data structure information about a set of virtual port groups, wherein a respective virtual port group comprises a group of virtual ports, wherein a respective virtual port is a virtualized network port residing on a virtual machine, wherein a virtual port group includes virtual ports residing on a plurality of virtual machines, and wherein a virtual machine is a virtualized computing system running on a physical machine distinct from the switch;

determining whether a frame is traveling within a same virtual port group; and

preventing the frame from being forwarded upon a determination that the frame is not traveling within the same virtual port group.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining a source virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s source media access control (MAC) address and virtual local area network (VLAN) tag.

3. The switch of claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises determining a destination virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s destination MAC address and VLAN tag.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises obtaining the information about the set of virtual port groups from a virtual machine administrator.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch is a member switch of an Ethernet fabric switch, which includes a number of member switches;

and

wherein the Ethernet fabric switch operates as a single switch.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the method further comprising encapsulating the frame with one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header and an Internet Protocol (IP) header.

7. A switch, comprising a virtual port grouping module adapted to:

determine whether a frame is traveling with a same virtual port group, wherein a respective virtual port group comprises a group of virtual ports, wherein a respective virtual port is a virtualized network port residing on a virtual machine, wherein a virtual port group includes virtual ports residing on a plurality of virtual machines, and wherein a virtual machine is a virtualized computing system running on a physical machine distinct from the switch; and

prevent the frame from being forwarded upon a determination that the frame is not traveling within the same virtual port group.

8. The switch of claim 7, wherein the virtual port grouping module is further adapted to determine a source virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s source media access control (MAC) address and virtual local area network (VLAN) tag.

9. The switch of claim 7,

wherein the virtual port grouping module is further adapted to determine a destination virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s destination MAC address and VLAN tag.

10. The switch of claim 7, wherein the virtual grouping module is further adapted to obtain the information about the set of virtual port groups from a virtual machine administrator.

11. The switch of claim 7, wherein the switch is a member of an Ethernet fabric switch, which includes a number of member switches;

and

wherein the Ethernet fabric switch operates as a single switch.

12. The switch of claim 7, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to encapsulate the frame with one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header and an Internet Protocol (IP) header.

13. A method, comprising:

storing by a switch in a data structure information about a set of virtual port groups, wherein a respective virtual port group comprises a group of virtual ports, wherein a respective virtual port is a virtualized network port residing on a virtual machine, wherein a virtual port group includes virtual ports residing on a plurality of virtual machines, and wherein a virtual machine is a virtualized computing system running on a physical machine distinct from the switch;

determining whether a frame is traveling with a same virtual port group; and

preventing the frame from being forwarded upon a determination that the frame is not traveling within the same virtual port group.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a source virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s source media access control (MAC) address and virtual local area network (VLAN) tag.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the virtual port grouping mechanism is further configured to determine a destination virtual port group based on the frame'"'"'s destination MAC address and VLAN tag.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining the information about the virtual port groups from a virtual machine administrator.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the switch is a member switch of an Ethernet fabric switch, which includes a number of member switches;

and

wherein the Ethernet fabric switch operates as a single switch.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising encapsulating the frame with one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header and an Internet Protocol (IP) header.

19. A switch means, comprising:

a virtual port grouping means for;

determining whether a frame is traveling

within a same virtual port group, wherein a respective virtual port group comprises a group of virtual ports, wherein a respective virtual port is a virtualized network port residing on a virtual machine, wherein a virtual port group includes virtual ports residing on a plurality of virtual machines, and wherein a virtual machine is a virtualized computing system running on a physical machine distinct from the switch means; and

preventing the frame from being forwarded upon a determination that the frame is not traveling within the same virtual port group.