Universal physical control plane

• US 9,319,337 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koponen, Teemu, Thakkar, Pankaj, Padmanabhan, Amar, Zhang, Ronghua
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLeod, Marshall
• Application Number:
  US13/756,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/220, 709/223, 709/240
• 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 generating universal physical control plane (UPCP) data for configuring a set of managed forwarding elements that forward data in a network is described. The controller includes a control module for converting logical control plane (LCP) data to logical forwarding plane (LFP) data. The controller includes a virtualization module for converting the LFP data to UPCP data. The UPCP data is for subsequent conversion into customized physical control plane (CPCP) data for each of the managed forwarding elements. The CPCP data directs the forwarding of data by the managed forwarding element.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program of a controller computer which when executed by at least one processing unit of the controller computer configures a set of managed forwarding elements that forward data in a network, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving logical forwarding plane (LFP) data for a logical network; and

converting the LFP data into universal physical control plane (UPCP) data for the set of managed forwarding elements,

wherein the UPCP data is subsequently converted into customized physical control plane (CPCP) data for each one of the managed forwarding elements, the managed forwarding element'"'"'s CPCP data for defining the managed forwarding element'"'"'s forwarding of data for the logical network.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the UPCP data and the CPCP data are defined in terms of flow entries, wherein a UPCP flow entry is converted into at least two CPCP flow entries for two different managed forwarding elements.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 2, wherein the two CPCP flow entries are different in terms of physical attributes of the two managed forwarding elements.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the physical attributes comprise port numbers and network addresses.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the LFP data is converted from logical control plane data.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein each particular managed forwarding element is managed by a particular controller, wherein the particular controller performs the conversion of the UPCP data to the CPCP data for the managed forwarding element.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the particular managed forwarding element forwards the logical network data according to the CPCP data.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements further performs the conversion of the UPCP data to the CPCP data.

9. A controller computer for generating universal physical control plane (UPCP) data for configuring a set of managed forwarding elements that forward data in a network, the controller computer comprising:

a control module that converts logical control plane (LCP) data to logical forwarding plane (LFP) data; and

a virtualization module that converts the LFP data to UPCP data, wherein the UPCP data is for subsequent conversion into customized physical control plane (CPCP) data for each of the managed forwarding elements, the managed forwarding element'"'"'s CPCP data for defining the managed forwarding element'"'"'s forwarding of data for the logical network, wherein the control and virtualization modules are executed by at least one processing unit of the controller computer.

10. The controller computer of claim 9 further comprising:

a table mapping engine;

input and output tables for storing logical control and forwarding plane records; and

a set of table mapping rules, wherein the control module comprises a first subset of table mapping rules and the table mapping engine, and the virtualization module comprises a second subset of table mapping rules and the table mapping engine.

11. The controller computer of claim 9, wherein the controller is a first controller, the first controller further comprising a communication interface for receiving the LCP data from a second controller.

12. The controller computer of claim 9, wherein the controller is a first controller, the first controller further comprising a communication interface for sending the UPCP data to a second controller.

13. The controller computer of claim 12, wherein the second controller is a master of the set of managed forwarding elements.

14. The controller computer of claim 12, wherein the second controller converts the UPCP data into the CPCP data that specify forwarding behaviors of each managed forwarding element.

15. For a controller computer that manages a network comprising a plurality of managed forwarding elements, a method for configuring a set of managed forwarding elements that forward data in the network, the method comprising:

receiving logical forwarding plane (LFP) data for a logical network; and

converting the LFP data into universal physical control plane (UPCP) data for the set of managed forwarding elements,

wherein the UPCP data is subsequently converted into customized physical control plane (CPCP) data for each one of the managed forwarding elements, wherein the CPCP data specify forwarding behavior of each managed forwarding element.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each particular managed forwarding element is managed by a particular controller, wherein the particular controller performs the conversion of the UPCP data to the CPCP data for the particular managed forwarding element.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the UPCP data and the CPCP data are defined in terms of flow entries, wherein a UPCP flow entry is converted into at least two CPCP flow entries for two different managed forwarding elements.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the two CPCP flow entries are different in terms of physical attributes of the two managed forwarding elements.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the physical attributes comprise port numbers and network addresses.

20. A non-transitory machine readable medium of a controller computer storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of the controller computer configures a first managed forwarding element to establish a tunnel between the first managed forwarding element and a second managed forwarding element, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a set of universal flow entries for configuring the first managed forwarding element;

based on the set of universal flow entries, directing the first managed forwarding element to create a network construct on the first managed forwarding element;

from the first managed forwarding element, receiving information about the network construct created by the first managed forwarding element; and

based on the received information, converting the set of universal flow entries to a set of customized flow entries for the first managed switching element in order to establish the tunnel to the second managed forwarding element.

21. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for sending the customized flow entries to the first managed forwarding element, wherein the first managed forwarding element forwards data through the established tunnel to the second managed forwarding element based on the customized flow entries.