Link aggregation in software-defined networks

• US 8,995,272 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Vivek, Lakshminarasimhan, Arvindsrinivasan, Ananthapadmanabha, Kashyap Tavarekere
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Application Number:
  US13/742,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217, 370/225, 370/235, 370/237, 370/358, 370/360, 370/367, 370/396, 370/398, 370/230, 370/236, 370/386, 370/391, 370/392, 370/395.2, 370/395.3
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch capable of processing software-defined data flows. The switch includes an identifier management module and a flow definition management module. During operation, the identifier management module allocates a logical identifier to a link aggregation port group which includes a plurality of ports associated with different links. The flow definition management module processes a flow definition corresponding to the logical identifier, applies the flow definition to ports in the link aggregation port group, and update lookup information for the link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an identifier management module configurable to allocate a logical identifier to a link aggregation port group, wherein the link aggregation port group includes a plurality of ports associated with different links, and wherein the logical identifier operates as a single port identifier for the link aggregation port group; and

a flow definition management module configurable to;

process a flow definition specified based on the logical identifier;

apply the flow definition to the ports in the link aggregation port group; and

update lookup information associated with the ports in the link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the flow definition management module is further configurable to incorporate in the lookup information a policy regarding traffic distribution across the ports in the link aggregation port group.

3. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a high-availability module configurable to:

detect a first port'"'"'s inability to forward traffic, wherein the first port is in the link aggregation port group; and

update the lookup information to associate the flow definition of the first port with one or more active ports in the link aggregation port group.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch is an OpenFlow-capable switch.

5. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an identifier management module configurable to allocate a logical identifier to a multi-switch link aggregation port group, wherein the multi-switch link aggregation port group includes a plurality of ports associated with different links, and wherein the logical identifier operates as a single port identifier for the multi-switch link aggregation port group;

an election module configurable to elect a master switch in conjunction with a remote switch, wherein the switch and the remote switch participate in the multi-switch link aggregation port group;

wherein the logical identifier allocated to the multi-switch link aggregation port group is same in the switch and the remote switch; and

a flow definition management module configurable to process a flow definition specified based on the logical identifier.

6. The switch of claim 5, wherein the flow definition management module is further configurable to:

apply the flow definition to local ports in the multi-switch link aggregation port group; and

update lookup information associated with the local ports in the multi-switch link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

7. The switch of claim 5, wherein the flow definition management module is further configurable to communicate with a network controller;

wherein the switch further comprises a synchronization module configurable to construct a message for the remote switch in response to the switch being elected as the master switch, wherein the message includes the flow definition.

8. The switch of claim 5, wherein the switch further comprises a synchronization module configurable to identify a message from the remote switch in response to the remote switch being elected as the master switch, wherein the message includes the flow definition.

9. The switch of claim 8, further comprising a high-availability module configurable to detect a failure associated with the remote switch;

and

wherein the flow definition management module is further configurable to communicate with a network controller in response to detecting the failure.

10. The switch of claim 5, wherein the switch is an OpenFlow-capable switch.

11. A computer-executable method, comprising:

allocating, by a computer, a logical identifier to a link aggregation port group, wherein the link aggregation port group includes a plurality of ports associated with different links, and wherein the logical identifier operates as a single port identifier for the link aggregation port group;

processing a flow definition specified based on the logical identifier;

applying the flow definition to the ports in the link aggregation port group; and

updating lookup information associated with the ports in the link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising incorporating in the lookup information a policy regarding traffic distribution across the ports in the link aggregation port group.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a first port'"'"'s inability to forward traffic, wherein the first port is in the link aggregation port group; and

updating the lookup information to associate the flow definition of the first port with one or more active ports in the link aggregation port group.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the flow definition is an OpenFlow-compatible flow definition.

15. A computer-executable method, comprising:

allocating, by a computer, a logical identifier to a multi-switch link aggregation port group, wherein the multi-switch link aggregation port group includes a plurality of ports associated with different links, and wherein the logical identifier operates as a single port identifier for the multi-switch link aggregation port group;

electing a master switch from a first switch and a second switch, wherein the first switch and the second switch participate in the multi-switch link aggregation port group;

wherein the logical identifier allocated to the multi-switch link aggregation port group is same in the first switch and the second switch; and

processing a flow definition specified based on the logical identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

applying the flow definition to local ports in the multi-switch link aggregation port group; and

updating lookup information associated with the local ports in the multi-switch link aggregation port group based on the flow definition.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

communicating with a network controller;

constructing, by the first switch, a message for the flow definition to the remote switch in response to the first switch being elected as the master switch, wherein the message includes the flow definition.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying, by the first switch, a message from the second switch in response to the second switch being elected as the master switch, wherein the message includes the flow definition.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting a failure associated with the second switch; and

communicating, by the first switch, with a network controller in response to detecting the failure.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the flow definition is an OpenFlow-compatible flow definition.