Distributed operating system for a layer 2 fabric
First Claim
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1. A network switch, comprising:
- a switch fabric including a switch fabric classifier, a plurality of external ports and a plurality of internal ports, the switch fabric being configured for switching incoming packets received at the external ports, the switch fabric classifier being configured for applying classification rules to process the incoming packets;
a control processor configured to execute a network device operation system (ndOS), wherein network switches executing the ndOS are defined to switch layer 2 packets and to share network information with other network switches executing ndOS, the network switch having a first switch identification (ID) that uniquely identifies the network switch among network switches executing ndOS; and
an internal switch operatively connected to the switch fabric and the control processor;
wherein the control processor when executing ndOS is configured to send a first classification rule to the switch fabric classifier via the internal switch, the first classification rule identifying an action to be performed on packets satisfying the first classification rule;
wherein the control processor when executing ndOS is configured to send a discovery packet through a first external port to a second network switch implementing ndOS, the discovery packet including the first switch ID and an ID of the first external port in the network switch.
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Abstract
A system that includes a layer 2 fabric, a first host, and a second host. The layer 2 fabric includes a first network device and a second network device. The first host is connected to the first network device and includes a first virtual machine (VM). The second host is connected to the second network device and includes a second VM. The layer 2 fabric includes a virtual network including the first VM and the second VM and the first virtual network is managed by a virtual network manager executing on the first network device.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A network switch, comprising:
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a switch fabric including a switch fabric classifier, a plurality of external ports and a plurality of internal ports, the switch fabric being configured for switching incoming packets received at the external ports, the switch fabric classifier being configured for applying classification rules to process the incoming packets; a control processor configured to execute a network device operation system (ndOS), wherein network switches executing the ndOS are defined to switch layer 2 packets and to share network information with other network switches executing ndOS, the network switch having a first switch identification (ID) that uniquely identifies the network switch among network switches executing ndOS; and an internal switch operatively connected to the switch fabric and the control processor; wherein the control processor when executing ndOS is configured to send a first classification rule to the switch fabric classifier via the internal switch, the first classification rule identifying an action to be performed on packets satisfying the first classification rule; wherein the control processor when executing ndOS is configured to send a discovery packet through a first external port to a second network switch implementing ndOS, the discovery packet including the first switch ID and an ID of the first external port in the network switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A network switch, comprising:
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a switch fabric including a switch fabric classifier, a plurality of external ports and a plurality of internal ports, the switch fabric being configured for switching incoming packets received at the external ports, the switch fabric classifier being configured for applying classification rules to process the incoming packets; a control processor configured to execute a network device operation system (ndOS) and a virtual network manager, the virtual network manager being configured to manage a virtual network comprising one or more virtual machines (VM), wherein network switches executing the ndOS are defined to switch layer 2 packets and to share network information with other network switches executing ndOS; and an internal switch operatively connected to the switch fabric and the control processor; wherein managing the virtual network includes determining whether a first VM executing on a first host can migrate to a second host when the network switch is connected, through one of the plurality of external ports, to the first host and a second network switch is connected to the second host, wherein the network switch is configured to temporarily store packets destined for the first VM and packets issued by the first VM while the network switch is migrating to the second host.
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21. A system, comprising:
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a layer 2 fabric including a plurality of network switches, wherein a first network switch is directly connected to a second network switch, wherein the plurality of network switches execute a network device operation system (ndOS), wherein network switches executing the ndOS are defined to switch layer 2 packets in the layer 2 fabric and to share network information with other network switches executing ndOS, wherein the first network switch comprises a first ndOS and the second network switch comprises a second ndOS; wherein the first ndOS is configured to; receive a request from a first host, the request specifying that a virtual machine on the first host is to be migrated to a second host connected to the second network switch; and send the request to the second ndOS in the second network switch, wherein the second ndOS processes the request to determine whether the virtual machine may migrated from the first host to the second host. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A system, comprising:
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a layer 2 fabric including a plurality of network switches including a first network switch and a second network switch, wherein the plurality of network switches execute a network device operation system (ndOS), wherein network switches executing the ndOS are defined to switch layer 2 packets in the layer 2 fabric and to share network information with other network switches executing ndOS, wherein the first network switch includes a first ndOS; wherein the first ndOS includes a virtual network manager configured to manage a first virtual network having a first virtual machine (VM) executing on a first host connected to the first network switch, wherein the layer 2 fabric operates the first virtual network, wherein the first virtual network is specified using at least one selected from a group consisting of a MAC address, a VLAN tag, a VLAN Q-in-Q tag, and an Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label, wherein the first ndOS is configured to create a second VM on the first network switch, wherein the second VM is configured to provide to the first virtual network at least one selected from a group consisting of a load balancing service, a DNS service, or a DHCP service. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification