Method and apparatus for determining a network topology during network provisioning

• US 9,032,054 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Shukla, Amit, Ayyangar, Arthi
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYERS, ERIC A
• Application Number:
  US13/594,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/252, 370/395.21, 370/396, 709/238, 709/212, 709220-223, 709/226, 709/244, 710/316, 710/311, 710/312, 710/22
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a provisioning instruction including a device identifier from an external management entity, receiving the device identifier from a network device, associating the provisioning instruction the network device, and sending a portion of the provisioning instruction to the network device. The device identifier being associated with a virtual resource. The associating is based on the device identifier of the virtual resource and a device identifier of a network device. The portion of the provisioning instruction is sent to the network device based on the associating.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a network device having a physical port configured to be operatively coupled to a host device hosting a virtual resource, the network device configured to he operatively coupled to a network management module,

the network device configured to send to the network management module a device identifier of the virtual resource and a device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device such that the network management module associates the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device with a provisioning instruction including the device identifier of the virtual resource based on the device identifier of the virtual resource.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the network device is configured to receive at least a portion of the provisioning instruction from the network management module after the network device sends the device identifier of the virtual resource and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device to the network management module,

the network device configured to provision the physical port based on at least the portion of the provisioning instruction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the network device is configured to receive at least a portion of the provisioning instruction from the network management module after the network device sends the device identifier of the virtual resource and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device to the network management module,

the network device configured to forward data packets associated with the virtual resource to the virtual resource based on at least the portion of the provisioning instruction.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is configured to send the device identifier of the virtual resource and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device to the network management module in response to a migration of the virtual resource to the host device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is configured to receive the device identifier of the virtual resource from the host device in response to an instantiation of the virtual resource at the host device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device includes a network address of the network device and a physical port identifier of the physical port of the network device configured to be operatively coupled to the host device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is configured to send to the network management module a network location descriptor associated with a location of the virtual resource at the host device, the network location descriptor including a physical port identifier associated with the physical port of the network device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network device is configured to receive the device identifier of the virtual resource from the host device via the physical port and prior to sending the device identifier of the virtual resource to the network management module.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a network management module implemented as a hardware module or a software module stored in a memory, the network management module configured to be operatively coupled to a network device having a physical port operatively coupled to a host device hosting a virtual resource,

the network management module configured to receive a device identifier of the virtual resource and a device identifier assocated with the physical port of the network device from the network device,

the network management module configured to associate a provisioning instruction including the device identifier of the virtual resource with the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device based on the device identifier of the virtual resource.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device includes a physical port identifier of the physical port.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network management module is configured to send, based on the association between the provisioning instruction and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device, the provisioning instruction to the network device such that the network device provisions the physical port based on the provisioning instruction.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the network management module is configured to send, based on the association between the provisioning instruction and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device, the provisioning instruction to the network device such that the network device forwards data packets to the virtual resource based on the provisioning instruction.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the network management module is configured to provide a command interface to an extern al management entity,

the network management module configured to receive the provisioning instruction from the external management entity via the command interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the provisioning instruction does not include the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the network management module is configured to, in response to receiving a deprovisioning instruction including the device identifier of the virtual resource, associate the deprovisioning instruction with the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device based on the device identifier of the virtual resource,

the network management module configured to, in response to the association between the deprovisioning instruction and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device, send at least a portion of the deprovisioning instruction to the network device based on the association between the deprovisioning instruction and the device identifier associated with the physical port of the network device.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, from an external management entity, a provisioning instruction including a device identifier associated with a virtual resource;

receiving the device identifier and a network location descriptor of the virtual resource from a network device;

associating the provisioning instruction with the network location descriptor based on the device identifier; and

sending at least a portion of the provisioning instruction to the network device based on the provisioning instruction and at least a portion of the network location descriptor such that the network device provisions a physical port of the network device associated with the virtual resource.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sending includes sending at least the portion of the provisioning instruction such that the network device is operatively coupled to the virtual resource via the physical port of the network device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the provisioning instruction is received from the external management entity in response to an instantiation of the virtual resource at a host device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the network device is a first network device, the network location descriptor of the virtual resource is a first network location descriptor of the virtual resource, the method further comprising:

receiving the device identifier and a second network location descriptor of the virtual resource from a second network device;

associating the provisioning instruction with the second network location descriptor based on the device identifier; and

sending at least a portion of the provisioning instruction to the second network device based on the provisioning instruction and at least a portion of the second network location descriptor such that the second network device provisions a physical port of the second network device associated with the virtual resource.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the provisioning instruction is a first provisioning instruction, the method further comprising:

receiving a second provisioning instruction including the device identifier,

associating the second provisioning instruction with the network location descriptor based on the device identifier; and

sending at least a portion of the second provisioning instruction to the network device based on the second provisioning instruction and at least a portion of the network location descriptor such that the network device provisions the physical port of the network device associated with the virtual resource.