Network address translation for virtual machines

• US 9,258,271 B1
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Evan K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIDAL CARPIO, MARIELA
• Application Number:
  US13/350,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2535 Multiple local networks, e.g. resolving potential IP address conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a packet from a client, the packet having header information including a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address, a destination port, a source IP address, and a source port, and wherein the source IP address and source port are associated with the client; selecting a destination virtual machine based on the destination port; modifying the packet by replacing the destination IP address in the header information with an IP address of the selected destination virtual machine; and sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from a client, the packet having header information including a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address, a destination port, a source IP address, and a source port, and wherein

the source IP address and source port are associated with the client; and

the destination port identifies a plurality of destination virtual machines available for processing data included in the packet;

selecting a destination virtual machine, in the plurality of destination virtual machines, based on the destination port wherein the destination virtual machine is a hardware virtualization;

modifying the packet by replacing the destination IP address in the header information with an IP address of the selected destination virtual machine without modifying the destination port in the header information, wherein the modified packet does not include the destination IP address; and

sending the modified packet to a host machine configured to modify the destination port in the header information and send the modified packet to the destination virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination port indicates that the destination virtual machine be selected using a load balancing scheme and wherein the destination virtual machine is selected using the load balancing scheme.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the destination virtual machine further comprises converting the destination port using a transformation and selecting the destination virtual machine based on the transformed destination port.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the packet by replacing the destination port in the header information with a different port.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein replacing the destination port is performed by a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine comprises sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine using a virtual network pair.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet is a layer 2 or a layer 3 packet.

8. The method of claim 1 the packet is part of a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection between the client and the destination virtual machine.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine maintains an end point of the TCP connection.

10. A non-transitory, computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a packet from a client, the packet having header information including a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address, a destination port, a source IP address, and a source port, and wherein

the source IP address and source port are associated with the client; and

the destination port identifies a plurality of destination virtual machines available for processing data included in the packet;

selecting a destination virtual machine, in the plurality of destination virtual machines, based on the destination port wherein the destination virtual machine is a hardware virtualization;

modifying the packet by replacing the destination IP address in the header information with an IP address of the selected destination virtual machine without modifying the destination port in the header information, wherein the modified packet does not include the destination IP address; and

sending the modified packet to a host machine configured to modify the destination port in the header information and send the modified packet to the destination virtual machine.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the destination port indicates that the destination virtual machine be selected using a load balancing scheme and wherein the destination virtual machine is selected using the load balancing scheme.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein selecting the destination virtual machine further comprises converting the destination port using a transformation and selecting the destination virtual machine based on the transformed destination port.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise modifying the packet by replacing the destination port in the header information with a different port.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein replacing the destination port is performed by a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine comprises sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine using a virtual network pair.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the packet is a layer 2 or a layer 3 packet.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10 the packet is part of a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection between the client and the destination virtual machine.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine maintains an end point of the TCP connection.

19. A system comprising:

a non-transitory, computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon; and

data processing apparatus configured to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a packet from a client, the packet having header information including a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address, a destination port, a source IP address, and a source port, and wherein

the source IP address and source port are associated with the client; and

the destination port identifies a plurality of destination virtual machines available for processing data included in the packet;

selecting a destination virtual machine, in the plurality of destination virtual machines, based on the destination port wherein the destination virtual machine is a hardware virtualization;

modifying the packet by replacing the destination IP address in the header information with an IP address of the selected destination virtual machine without modifying the destination port in the header information, wherein the modified packet does not include the destination IP address; and

sending the modified packet to a host machine configured to modify the destination port in the header information and send the modified packet to the destination virtual machine.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the destination port indicates that the destination virtual machine be selected using a load balancing scheme and wherein the destination virtual machine is selected using the load balancing scheme.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein selecting the destination virtual machine further comprises converting the destination port using a transformation and selecting the destination virtual machine based on the transformed destination port.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise modifying the packet by replacing the destination port in the header information with a different port.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein replacing the destination port is performed by a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine comprises sending the modified packet to the destination virtual machine using a virtual network pair.

25. The system of claim 19 wherein the packet is a layer 2 or a layer 3 packet.

26. The system of claim 19 the packet is part of a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection between the client and the destination virtual machine.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein a host operating system that hosts the destination virtual machine maintains an end point of the TCP connection.