Scalable multi-tenant network architecture for virtualized datacenters

• US 9,304,798 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Mudigonda, Jayaram, Yalagandula, Praveen, Mogul, Jeffrey Clifford, Stiekes, Bryan, Fischer, Anna
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US14/122,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• 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 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A scalable, multi-tenant network architecture for a virtualized datacenter is provided. The network architecture includes a network having a plurality of servers connected to a plurality of switches. The plurality of servers hosts a plurality of virtual interfaces for a plurality of tenants. A configuration repository is connected to the network and each server in the plurality of servers has a network agent hosted therein. The network agent encapsulates packets for transmission across the network from a source virtual interface to a destination virtual interface in the plurality of virtual interfaces for a tenant in the plurality of tenants. The packets are encapsulated with information identifying and locating the destination virtual interface, and the information is interpreted by switches connected to the source virtual interface and the destination virtual interface.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

at least one processor; and

a network agent executable on the at least one processor to;

encapsulate a packet for transmission across a network from a source virtual interface to a destination virtual interface for a tenant, the source virtual interface and the destination virtual interface being part of a plurality of virtual interfaces hosted by respective servers, the packet encapsulated with information identifying and locating the destination virtual interface, the information to be interpreted by switches connected to the source virtual interface and the destination virtual interface, and

associate a given virtual interface in the server with an Internet Protocol (IP) address based on a tenant identifier for a tenant associated with the given virtual interface and an identifier of a port of a switch to which the server is connected.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the plurality of virtual interfaces are in a plurality of virtual machines hosted by the respective servers.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the network agent is executable on the at least one processor to:

assign an IP address to the server based on the identifier of the port of the switch to which the server is connected.

4. The server of claim 3, wherein the identifier of the port is a port number of the port of the switch.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein the network agent comprises a network address resolution module to gather and store information used for transmitting packets across the network in one or more network address tables.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the one or more network address tables comprise:

a first network address table storing a tenant identifier, an IP address and a Media Access Control (MAC) address for each virtual interface; and

a second network address table uniquely identifying each virtual interface by a tenant identifier, a MAC address space identifier associated with the each virtual interface, and a MAC address for each virtual interface, and locating each virtual interface in the network with a MAC address and a port number of a switch connected to the each virtual interface.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the network agent comprises a packet forwarding module to:

identify the destination virtual interface with a tenant identifier, a destination MAC address space identifier, and a destination MAC address;

look-up network location information for the destination virtual interface in the second network address table;

select a virtual local area network (VLAN) path for forwarding a packet to the destination virtual interface; and

forward the packet to the destination virtual interface after encapsulating the packet.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the network agent comprises a packet encapsulation module to encapsulate the packet with an IP header containing an IP address for the destination virtual interface and with an Ethernet header containing a MAC address for a source switch connected to the source virtual interface, a MAC address for a destination switch connected to the destination virtual interface, and a VLAN tag specifying a VLAN path between the source switch and the destination switch.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the forwarding of the packet causes the destination switch to decapsulate the Ethernet header and insert a header specifying the MAC address for the destination switch as a source MAC address and a MAC address for a server hosting the destination virtual interface as a destination MAC address.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the tenant is associated with a MAC address space.

11. A method for use in a scalable, multi-tenant network in a virtualized datacenter, the method comprising:

executing, in a server, a network agent, and hosting a plurality of virtual interfaces in the server, each virtual interface associated with a tenant of a plurality of tenants;

broadcasting, by a network address resolution module of the network agent executed in the server, a message to network agents in the network in response to a given virtual interface being started in the server, wherein the message comprises information that uniquely identifies and locates the given virtual interface in the network, the information comprising a tenant identifier for a tenant associated with the given virtual interface, a Media Access Control (MAC) address space identifier associated with the given virtual interface, and a MAC address for the given virtual interface; and

encapsulating, by a packet encapsulation module of the network agent executed in the server, a packet, prior to transmission of the packet, with information that uniquely identifies and locates a destination virtual interface in the network based on a tenant associated with the destination virtual interface and a switch connected to the destination virtual interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the server based on a port number of a switch connected to the server; and

associating the given interface with an IP address based on the tenant identifier for the tenant associated with the given virtual interface and the port number of the switch connected to the server.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information included in the message further comprises a port number and a MAC address for a switch connected to the given virtual interface.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing, by the network address resolution module:

a first network address table storing a tenant identifier, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a MAC address for each virtual interface of virtual interfaces in the network; and

a second network address table uniquely identifying each virtual interface of the virtual interfaces in the network by a tenant identifier, a MAC address space identifier associated with each virtual interface, and the MAC address for each virtual interface, and locating each virtual interface of the virtual interfaces in the network with a MAC address and a port number of a switch connected to each virtual interface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the encapsulating comprises encapsulating the packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) header containing an IP address for the destination virtual interface, and with an Ethernet header containing a MAC address for a source switch connected to a source virtual interface, a MAC address for a destination switch connected to the destination virtual interface, and a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag specifying a VLAN path between the source switch and the destination switch.

16. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions to:

identify a source virtual interface in a scalable, multi-tenant network in a virtualized datacenter with a tenant identifier, a source Media Access Control (MAC) address space identifier, and a source MAC address;

identify a destination virtual interface in the network with the tenant identifier, a destination MAC address space identifier, and a destination MAC address;

look-up network location information for the destination virtual interface in a network address table; and

encapsulate a packet for transmission across the network with information identifying and locating the destination virtual interface, the information identifying and locating the destination virtual interface to be interpreted by edge switches connected to the source virtual interface and the destination virtual interface in the network.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the network address table is stored in a plurality of servers in the network.