Interaction with a virtual network

• US 9,009,217 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagargadde, Aparna, Deb, Bashuman
• Primary Examiner(s): Nalven, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): DO, KHANG D
• Application Number:
  US12/985,979
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• 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 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

Systems and method for the management of virtual machine instances are provided. A network data transmission analysis system can host virtual machine networks. A component of a hosted virtual machine network is configured in a manner to receive commands directed towards a simulated network device. The component may then execute a process or processes on the hosted virtual machine network which correspond to the received command.

Claims

1. A system for interaction with a virtual network including at least one networking component and one or more computing devices, each of the one or more computing devices hosting at least one virtual machine instance, comprising:

a storage node including mapping information for mapping a client command directed towards a target component of a virtual network to an executable set of processes to be executed by one or more computer systems of a substrate network, wherein the one or more computer systems of the substrate network are configured to execute the executable set of processes to emulate the target component of the virtual network and wherein functionality of the target component is implemented by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network without instantiating a corresponding logical component on the virtual network by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network; and

one or more processors electrically coupled to memory including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

receive the client command from a client computing system, the received command directed towards executing a defined set of processes corresponding to a defined functionality on the target component, wherein the defined set of processes are not executable by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network to implement the defined functionality;

determine the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network in order to implement the defined functionality, wherein the executable set of processes are determined based at least in part on the mapping information and on a configuration of the target component;

cause the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network;

receive from the one or more computer systems of the substrate network a set of process results corresponding to the executable set of processes;

apply at least one of a security configuration and a user configuration to the received set of process results to generate a filtered set of process results; and

transmit to the client computing systems the filtered set of process results.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the filtered set of process results are formatted in accordance with the target component.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the filtered set of process results are formatted in accordance with the user configuration.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the executable set of processes includes calls to an application programming interface.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the target component corresponds to a networking device.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mapping information included within the storage node includes executable processes to be implemented by specific categories of networking devices.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage node further includes mapping information for mapping custom commands into one or more executable processes, the custom commands specified within the user configuration.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

prior to causing the execution of the executable set of processes, determine whether to cause the execution of the executable set of processes based on at least one of the user configuration and the security configuration; and

notify the client computing system of the determination.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, prior to receiving the client command from the client computing system:

receive a request to log on to the system from the client computing system;

determine, based on the request to log on to the system, whether the client computing system is authorized to access the system; and

if the client computing system is authorized to access the system, transmit a user interface to the client computing system.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the user interface is determined based on at least one of the security configuration and the user configuration.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the user interface is a command line interface.

12. A computer-implemented method for interaction with a virtual network, comprising:

obtaining a client command from a client computing system, the obtained command directed towards executing a defined set of processes corresponding to a defined functionality on a target component of the virtual network, wherein functionality of the target component is implemented by one or more computer systems of a substrate network without instantiating a corresponding logical component on the virtual network by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network, wherein the one or more computer systems of the substrate network are configured to execute an executable set of processes to emulate the target component of the virtual network and wherein the defined set of processes are not executable by the one or more components computer systems of the substrate network to implement the defined functionality;

determining the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network in order to implement the defined functionality, wherein the executable set of processes are determined based at least in part on mapping information and on a configuration of the target component;

causing execution of the executable set of processes on the one or more computer systems of the substrate network to implement the defined functionality; and

transmitting to the client computing systems a set of process results corresponding to the executed set of processes.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting to the client computing systems a set of process results includes formatting the set of process results according to a user configuration.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting to the client computing systems a set of process results includes formatting the set of process results according to the target component.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising, prior to transmitting to the client computing system the set of process results, applying at least one of a security configuration and a user configuration to the set of process results to filter the set of process results.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of a substrate network includes calls to an application programming interface.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the target component corresponds to a networking device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the executable set of processes are determined based at least in part on a specific category of the networking device.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising maintaining mapping information for mapping custom client commands into one or more executable processes, the custom commands being commands specified within a user configuration.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

prior to causing the execution of the executable set of processes, determining whether to cause the execution of the executable set of processes based on at least one of a user configuration and a security configuration; and

notifying the client computing system of the determination.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising, prior to receiving the client command from the client computing system:

receiving a log on request from the client computing system;

determining, based on the log on request, whether the client computing system is authorized to log on; and

if the client computing system is authorized to log on, transmitting a user interface to the client computing system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the user interface is determined based on at least one of a security configuration and a user configuration.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the user interface is a command line interface.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for interaction with a virtual network, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

first computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to maintain mapping information mapping a client command directed towards a target component of a virtual network to an executable set of processes to be executed by one or more computer systems of a substrate network, wherein the one or more computer systems of the substrate network are configured to execute the executable set of processes to emulate the target component of the virtual network and wherein functionality of the target component is implemented by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network without instantiating a corresponding logical component on the virtual network by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network;

second computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to;

receive the client command from a client computing system, the received command directed towards executing a defined set of processes corresponding to a defined functionality on the target component, wherein the defined set of processes are not executable by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network to implement the defined functionality; and

third computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause said processor to;

determine the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network in order to implement the defined functionality, wherein the executable set of processes are determined based at least in part on the mapping information and on a configuration of the target component;

cause the executable set of processes to be executed by the one or more computer systems of the substrate network to implement the defined functionality;

receive from the one or more computer systems of the substrate network a set of process results, the set of process results corresponding to the executable set of processes; and

transmit to the client computing system the set of process results.

25. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the executable set of processes includes calls to an application programming interface.

26. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the target component corresponds to a networking device.

27. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the mapping information includes executable processes to be implemented by specific categories of networking devices.

28. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the mapping information is further directed towards mapping custom commands into one or more executable processes, the custom commands being commands specified within a user configuration.

29. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the third computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause said processor to:

prior to causing the execution of the executable set of processes, determine whether to cause the execution of the executable set of processes, the determination being based on at least one of either a user configuration or a security configuration; and

notify the client computing system of the determination.

30. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein the second computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause said processor to, prior to receiving the client command from the client computing system:

receive a log on request from the client computing system;

determine, based on the log on request, whether the client computing system is authorized to log on; and

if the client computing system is authorized to log on, transmit a user interface to the client computing system.

31. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the user interface is determined based on at least one of a security configuration and a user configuration.

32. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the user interface is a command line interface.

33. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the third computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause said processor to, prior to transmitting to the client computing system the set of process results, format the set of process results in accordance with the target component.

34. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the third computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause said processor to, prior to transmitting to the client computing system the set of process results, format the set of process results in accordance with a client configuration.