Apparatus and method for segregating tenant specific data when using MPLS in openflow-enabled cloud computing

• US 9,250,941 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Kempf, James, Mishra, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Kibrom T
• Application Number:
  US13/750,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/342 between virtual entities, e.g. orchestrators, SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• 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]

Abstract

A tenant database is used to add tenant ID information to the cloud network manager (CNM) address mapping table to isolate tenant specific data to a tenant ID to the CNM. The CNM maintains a mapping among a plurality of items in a plurality of databases or tables. The plurality of databases or tables include a tenant database (DB), a tenant identifier to tenant label (TITL) table, a top of rack server label to virtual switch link label (TLVLL) table, a label mapping table (SMVL), and a CNM address mapping table. The CNM uses the plurality of databases to generate tenant specific labels that are added to packets sent between tenant virtual machines (VMs).

Claims

1. A method for isolating tenant specific data using a cloud network manager (CNM), which comprises:

maintaining a mapping among a plurality of items in a plurality of databases or tables, the plurality of databases or tables comprising a tenant database (DB), a tenant identifier to tenant label (TITL) table, a top of rack server label to virtual switch link label (TLVLL) table, a label mapping table (SMVL), and a CNM address mapping table;

using the plurality of databases to generate tenant specific labels that are added to packets sent between tenant virtual machines (VMs).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein database accesses are performed prior to installing or uninstalling flows on Openflow switches.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the CNM uses the TITL table to look up the tenant label using a tenant ID as a key.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the CNM uses the TLVLL table to look up the virtual switch (VS) link label using the top of rack server (TORS) label as the key.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the CNM uses the CNM address mapping table to maintain a mapping among a tenant ID, a tenant VM media access control (MAC) address, a tenant VM Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a server MAC address.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein there is one CNM address mapping table per tenant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein tenant specific data is isolated by adding a tenant label as a forwarding entry.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein using the tenant label that has a tenant ID segregates and isolates tenant specific traffic to a respective VM.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein VMs that belong to different tenants have the same internet protocol and media access control addresses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tenant DB keeps pointers to the CNM address mapping table.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the CNM first performs a lookup to the tenant DB to find a tenant specific address mapping table before performing all other CNM address mapping table lookups.