Network virtualization apparatus and method with scheduling capabilities

• US 9,203,701 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koponen, Teemu, Thakkar, Pankaj
• Primary Examiner(s): KHAJURIA, SHRIPAL K
• Application Number:
  US13/661,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20130114466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a controller for managing several managed switching elements that forward data in a network. The controller includes an interface for receiving input logical control plane data in terms of input events data. The controller includes an input scheduler for (1) categorizing the input events data into different groups based on certain criteria and (2) scheduling supplying of the input event data into a converter based on the groups so that the converter processes a group of input events data together. The controller includes the converter for converting the input logical control plane data to output logical forwarding plane data. The controller includes a network information base (NIB) data structure module for storing the output logical forwarding plane data. The logical forwarding plane data is for subsequent translation into physical control plane data.

Claims

1. A controller computer for managing a network comprising a plurality of managed forwarding elements that implement different logical networks, the controller computer comprising:

an interface for receiving input logical control plane data in terms of input events, said input logical control plane data comprising updates to logical control planes of logical networks, wherein each logical network is implemented by a set of managed forwarding elements;

an input scheduler for (i) categorizing the input events into different groups related to different logical networks and (ii) defining a schedule for supplying each group of the input events related to a different logical network to a converter so that the converter processes each group of input events related to a different logical network together;

the converter for converting the input logical control plane data for each logical network to output logical forwarding plane data for the logical network; and

a network information base (NIB) data structure for (i) storing, for each logical network, the output logical forwarding plane data for subsequent translation into physical control plane data for the set of managed forwarding elements that implements the logical network, and (ii) transmitting the physical control plane data to one or more other controllers that manage the set of managed forwarding elements.

2. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the input events comprise a particular input event that represents a change in a state of at least one managed forwarding element in the sets of managed forwarding elements.

3. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the NIB data structure further stores data representing a state of the sets of managed forwarding elements, wherein the input events comprise a change in the data representing the state of the sets of managed forwarding elements in the NIB data structure.

4. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the interface receives the input logical control plane data from at least one user.

5. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein a particular set of managed forwarding elements implements a particular logical network by forwarding data packets between a set of end machines that are logically connected through logical forwarding elements of the logical network, wherein the particular set of managed forwarding elements forwards the data packets between the end machines according to forwarding rules defined by the output logical forwarding plane data.

6. The controller computer of claim 5, wherein each managed forwarding element in the particular set of managed switching forwarding elements operates on a different host machine that also hosts one or more end machines in the set of end machines.

7. The controller computer of claim 1 further comprising a classifier for assigning a priority level to each input event, wherein the input scheduler supplies an input event with a higher priority level to the converter ahead of a group of input events with lower priority level.

8. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the physical control plane data is sent to the other controllers through a plurality of communication channels, the controller computer further comprising an output scheduler for (i) retrieving the physical control plane data from the NIB data structure, (ii) queuing the physical control plane data in a plurality of queues each of which corresponds to one of the other controllers, and (iii) sending the output physical control plane data to the other controllers from the corresponding queues.

9. The controller computer of claim 8, wherein the output scheduler sends physical control plane data from a particular queue when the particular queue has more than a threshold amount of physical control plane data.

10. The controller computer of claim 8, wherein the output scheduler sends physical control plane data from a particular queue periodically.

11. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the logical forwarding plane data comprises a plurality of logical flow entries that specify forwarding rules for forwarding of data between logical addresses of logical forwarding elements that are implemented by the set of managed forwarding elements.

12. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the translated physical control plane data is universal physical control plane data that defines a set of forwarding rules that is common for every managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements.

13. The controller computer of claim 12, wherein the other controllers performs further translations of the universal physical control plane data to a set of customized physical control plane data that is customized for each managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements.

14. The controller computer of claim 13, wherein each controller of the other controllers executes on a same host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

15. The controller computer of claim 13, wherein each controller of the other controllers is a controller computer that is separate from a host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

16. The controller computer of claim 3, wherein each managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements is represented by one or more data objects in the NIB data structure.

33. The controller computer of claim 3 further comprising a NIB monitor for:

identifying the change in the data representing the state of managed forwarding elements in the NIB data structure; and

sending the input events to the interface.

34. The controller computer of claim 3, wherein each managed forwarding element in the sets of managed forwarding elements operates on a host machine and implements a set of logical forwarding elements that couple to a set of end machines of a particular logical network that reside on the same host machine.

35. The controller computer of claim 34, wherein the change in the data representing the state of managed forwarding elements in the NIB data structure is caused by a migration of an end machine of the set of end machines from one host machine to another host machine.

17. A method for managing a network comprising a plurality of managed forwarding elements that implement different logical datapath sets, the method comprising:

receiving input logical control plane data in terms of input events, said input logical control plane data comprising updates to logical control planes of logical datapath sets, wherein each logical datapath set is implemented by a set of managed forwarding elements;

categorizing the input events into different groups related to different logical datapath sets;

defining a schedule for supplying each group of the input events related to a different logical datapath set to a converter so that the converter processes each group of input events related to a different logical datapath set together;

converting, by the converter, the input logical control plane data for each logical datapath set to output logical forwarding plane data for the logical datapath set;

storing the output logical forwarding plane data in a network information base (NIB) data structure, said output logical forwarding plane data for subsequent translation into physical control plane data for the set of managed forwarding elements that implements the logical datapath set; and

transmitting the physical control plane data from the NIB data structure to one or more controllers that manage the set of managed forwarding elements.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the input events comprise a particular input event that represents a change in a state of at least one managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising storing, in the NIB data structure, data representing a state of the set of managed forwarding elements, wherein the input events comprise a change in the data representing the state of the set of managed forwarding elements in the NIB data structure.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the input logical control plane data are supplied by at least one user.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a particular set of managed forwarding elements implements a particular logical datapath set by forwarding data packets between a set of end machines that are logically connected through logical forwarding elements of the particular logical datapath set, wherein the particular set of managed forwarding elements forwards the data packets between the end machines according to forwarding rules defined by the logical forwarding plane data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each managed forwarding element in the particular set of managed forwarding elements operates on a different host machine that also hosts one or more end machines in the set of end machines.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising assigning a priority level to each input event, wherein an input event with a higher priority level is supplied to the converter ahead of a group of input events with lower priority level.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the physical control plane data is sent to the other controllers through a plurality of communication channels, wherein transmitting the physical control plane data from the NIB comprises:

retrieving the physical control plane data from the NIB data structure;

queuing the physical control plane data in a plurality of queues each of which corresponds to one of the controllers; and

sending the physical control plane data to the controllers from the corresponding queues.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical control plane data is sent from a particular queue when the particular queue has more than a threshold amount of physical control plane data.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical control plane data is sent from a particular queue periodically.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the logical forwarding plane data comprises a plurality of logical flow entries that specify forwarding rules for forwarding of data between logical addresses of the logical forwarding elements that are implemented by the set of managed forwarding elements.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the translated physical control plane data is universal physical control plane data that defines a set of forwarding rules that is common for every managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the other controllers performs further translations of the universal physical control plane data to a set of customized physical control plane data for the set of managed forwarding elements.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein each controller of the other controllers executes on a same host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein each controller of the other controllers is a controller computer that is separate from a host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

32. The method of claim 19, wherein each managed forwarding element in the sets of managed forwarding elements is represented by one or more data objects in the NIB data structure.