Providing network capability over a converged interconnect fabric

• US 9,231,846 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sinha, Suyash, Pakhunov, Alexey, Jayamohan, Ajith, Heil, Stephen Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Guang
• Application Number:
  US13/302,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 45/76 Routing in software-defined topologies, e.g. routing between virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

A subject disclosure is directed towards emulating a data network interface for operating an interconnect controller in accordance with a networking standard. The emulated data network interface provides address resolution data associated with a destination, within a converged interconnect fabric, for application data. The address resolution data identifies a communication path that is compatible with the interconnect controller. The application data conforms to the networking standard. The emulated data network interface instructs the interconnect controller to route the application data to the destination via the compatible communication path.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method performed at least in part on at least one processor, comprising:

emulating a data network interface in accordance with a native networking standard, the data network interface operating with an interconnect controller, including, providing address resolution data to identify a communication path that is compatible with the interconnect controller and associated with a destination for application data within a converged interconnect fabric, the converged interconnect fabric comprising one or more optical interconnects;

providing an intermediate driver implementing a data communication protocol for a native miniport driver associated with networking hardware components, the intermediate driver providing a miniport to overlaying protocol drivers in a protocol stack; and

using the interconnect controller to route the application data through the converged interconnect fabric to the destination based on the address resolution data, wherein the application data conforms to the native networking standard, the native networking standard being a different networking standard than a networking standard associated with the converged interconnect fabric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the address resolution data further comprises intercepting requests for the address resolution data associated with the destination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein intercepting the requests further comprises redirecting the requests to a root node via the interconnect controller.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing a path identifier representing the communication path and a physical address associated with the destination in the address resolution data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

instructing the interconnect controller to communicate the application data to the destination via one or more interconnects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the address resolution data further comprises processing a native communication path from the interconnect controller to a root node, and processing host configuration data that is communicated via the native communication path and comprises at least one of a network address or a physical address associated with a switch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the address resolution data further comprises storing a mapping between a network address and a physical address in the address resolution data, wherein the mapping is associated with a data network interface of the destination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the interconnect controller to route the application data further comprises communicating multicast packets that comprises the application data to a root node that routes a copy of the multicast packets to one or more members of a multicast membership group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein using the interconnect controller to route the application data further comprises communicating broadcast packets that comprises the application data to a root node, wherein the root node routes a copy of the broadcast packets to a host node within a subnet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a kernel mode component configured to intercept requests for address resolution data associated with the destination; and

a user mode component configured to redirect the requests to a root node via the interconnect controller.

11. In a computing environment, a system, comprising:

an orchestrator configured to enable a local area network over a converged interconnect fabric between data network interfaces, the converged interconnect fabric comprising one or more optical interconnects, wherein the orchestrator is further configured to access network configuration information comprising a physical address for one or more data network interfaces that is compatible with an associated interconnect controller, to use the network configuration information to create a mapping between a pair of physical addresses and a path identifier associated with an accessible communication path from a corresponding data network interface, and to communicate the mapping to a corresponding node within the local area network via the converged interconnect fabric;

an intermediate driver configured to implement a data communication protocol for a native miniport driver, the intermediate driver providing a miniport to overlaying protocol drivers in a protocol stack; and

the interconnect controller configured to route application data along the accessible communication path to a destination, the application data conforming to a native networking standard, the native networking standard being a different networking standard than a networking standard associated with the converged interconnect fabric.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the orchestrator is further configured to respond to an address resolution data request with an address associated with a layer of the protocol stack.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the orchestrator is further configured to respond to a multicast request with an orchestrator physical address and route a copy of multicast packets to a corresponding network address for one or more multicast group members.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the orchestrator is further configured to respond to a broadcast request with an orchestrator physical address and route a copy of application data to a corresponding network address for a node within a subnet.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the orchestrator is further configured to assign the physical addresses to the data network interfaces within the local area network within a data center.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises an emulation mechanism configured to implement a data communication protocol that routes application data to a destination in accordance with a networking standard, wherein the emulation mechanism comprises the intermediate driver with an optical interconnect controller for communicating the application data via a plurality of optical interconnects in the converged interconnect fabric, wherein a kernel mode component and a user mode component cooperate to provide the intermediate driver implementing the data communication protocol for a native miniport driver.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the emulation mechanism is further configured to partition an emulated data network interface into virtual data network interfaces, and wherein the orchestrator is further configured to assign a network address and a physical address to a virtual network interface.

18. One or more computer-readable devices having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform steps, comprising:

accessing a native communication path with an orchestrator for a local area network, wherein the native communication path comprises one or more interconnects;

configuring a node with a physical address that is communicated by the orchestrator via the native communication path;

providing a data communication protocol to a native miniport driver for controlling a switch within the node, the switch corresponds to an interconnect technology, an intermediate driver implementing the data communication protocol for the native miniport driver;

providing a miniport to overlaying protocol layer drivers in accordance with a native networking standard;

requesting a network address for the node from the orchestrator via the native communication path;

requesting a destination physical address for a data network interface from the orchestrator via the native communication path; and

routing application data frames through a converged interconnect fabric to the destination physical address, by a protocol-independent interconnect controller, using the miniport driver to the data network interface, wherein the application data frames conform to the native networking standard, the native networking standard being a different networking standard than a networking standard associated with the one or more interconnects.

19. The one or more computer-readable devices of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

providing the intermediate driver implementing the data communication protocol for the native miniport driver by a kernel mode component and a user mode component; and

partitioning the switch into one or more virtual data network interfaces for one or more virtual machines.

20. The one or more computer-readable devices of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructing the protocol-independent interconnect controller to communicate the application data frames along a communication path to the data network interface.