Scheduling distribution of logical forwarding plane data

• US 9,300,593 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thakkar, Pankaj, Koponen, Teemu
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US13/756,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/220, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• 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 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0226 Mapping or translating multiple network management protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/38 Flow based routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling

Abstract

A controller for managing several managed switching elements that forward data in a network is described. The controller includes an interface for receiving input logical control plane data in terms of input events data. The controller includes a converter for converting the input logical control plane data to output logical forwarding plane data by processing the input events data. The logical forwarding plane data is for subsequent translation into physical control plane data. The controller includes an input scheduler for (1) categorizing the input events data into different groups based on certain criteria and (2) supplying the input events data into the converter in a manner that each different group of input events data is processed separately by the converter.

Claims

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

an interface that receives 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;

a converter that converts the input logical control plane data for each logical network to output logical forwarding plane data for the logical network by processing the input events, said 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

an input scheduler that (i) categorizes the input events into different groups related to different logical networks, and (ii) defines a schedule for supplying each group of the input events for each logical network to the converter in a manner that ensures that each group of input events related to each logical network is processed together by the converter.

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

3. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the input logical control plane data are at least partially supplied by at least one user.

4. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements implements each 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 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.

5. The controller computer of claim 4, wherein each managed forwarding element in at least a subset of managed forwarding elements operates on a different host machine that also hosts one or more end machines in the set of end machines.

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

7. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein the output logical forwarding plane data is converted into output physical control plane data to be sent to a plurality of other controllers through a plurality of communication channels, the controller computer further comprising an output scheduler for (i) queuing the output physical control plane data in a plurality of storage structures each of which corresponds to one of the other controllers and (ii) sending the output physical control plane data to the other controllers from the corresponding storage structures.

8. The controller computer of claim 7, wherein the output scheduler sends output physical control plane data from a particular storage structure when the particular storage structure has more than a threshold amount of output physical control plane data.

9. The controller computer of claim 7, wherein the output scheduler sends output physical control plane data from a particular storage structure periodically.

10. The controller computer of claim 1, wherein each logical network comprises a set of logical forwarding elements that logically connects a set of end machines to each other, wherein the logical forwarding plane data comprises a plurality of logical flow entries that specify forwarding rules for forwarding data between logical addresses of each set of logical forwarding elements that are is implemented by the set of managed forwarding elements.

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

12. The controller computer of claim 11, wherein a set of other controllers performs the 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.

13. The controller computer of claim 12, wherein each controller in the set of other controllers executes on a same host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

14. The controller computer of claim 12, wherein each the controller in the set of other controllers is a controller computer that is separate from a host machine on which a corresponding managed forwarding element operates.

15. A non-transitory machine readable medium of a controller computer that stores a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of the controller computer manages a plurality of managed forwarding elements that implement different logical networks, the program comprising sets of instructions 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;

categorizing the input events data into different groups related to different logical networks;

defining a schedule for supplying each group of the input events for each logical network to a converter in a manner that ensures that each group of input events related to each logical network is processed together by the converter; and

converting, by the converter, the input logical control plane data for each logical network to output logical forwarding plane data for the logical network, said logical forwarding plane data for subsequent translation into physical control plane data for the set of managed forwarding elements that implements the logical network.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein a particular input event represents a change in a state of at least one managed forwarding element in the set of managed forwarding elements.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the input logical control plane data are at least partially supplied by at least one user.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements implements each 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 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.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein each managed forwarding element in the 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.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein each logical network comprises a set of logical forwarding elements that logically connects a set of end machines to each other, wherein the logical forwarding plane data comprises a plurality of logical flow entries that specify forwarding rules for forwarding data between logical addresses of each set of logical forwarding elements that is implemented by the set of managed forwarding elements.