Automated host device virtual network configuration system

• US 9,450,813 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Nilakantan, Chandrasekharan, Lewis, Gary, Stein, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Wissam
• Application Number:
  US14/665,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 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 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration

Abstract

A method of automatically configuring a data network, the data network including a controller and a virtualization host with a hypervisor installed thereon, the method including creating a virtual switch in the hypervisor and communicatively coupling the virtual switch to a first physical network interface in the virtualization host. Further, the method includes receiving a request to boot an operating system image in a virtual machine in the hypervisor, the operating system image having network connectivity requirements. The method also includes creating a first virtual port in the virtual switch based upon the network connectivity requirements of the operating system image and creating a first virtual network adapter in the virtual machine in the hypervisor. Further, the method includes communicatively coupling the first virtual network adapter to the first virtual port in the virtual switch and configuring networking attributes of the first virtual network adapter in the virtual machine.

Claims

1. A virtualization configuration system, comprising:

a host device that includes a first physical network interface and a virtual machine; and

a controller that coupled to the host device through a network, wherein the controller is configured to;

determine a connectivity provided by the first physical network interface to a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs);

automatically create a virtual switch on the host device;

couple the virtual switch to the first physical network interface;

provide an application on the virtual machine, wherein the application requires connectivity to at least one of the plurality of VLANs;

create a virtual port in the virtual switch for each VLAN to which the application requires connectivity;

create a virtual network adapter in the virtual machine for each virtual port that was created;

couple each virtual network adapter to a respective virtual port; and

configure networking attributes of each virtual network adapter based upon the at least one VLAN to which the application requires connectivity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the host device includes a second physical network interface, and the controller is configured to:

determine that the second physical network interface includes the same connectivity as the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs and, in response, team the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface and communicatively couple the virtual switch, the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuring the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter includes configuring at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) hostname, and a Network Interface Controller (NIC) specific route.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide the application on the virtual machine in response to:

selecting the host device based on the connectivity provided by the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

provide an agent on the host device, wherein the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter are configured using the agent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

create a virtual port group in the virtual switch for at least one of the VLANs to which the application requires connectivity.

7. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a processing system;

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to;

determine a connectivity provided by a first physical network interface on a host device to a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs);

automatically create a virtual switch on the host device;

couple the virtual switch to the first physical network interface;

provide an application on a virtual machine on the host device, wherein the application requires connectivity to at least one of the plurality of VLANs;

create a virtual port in the virtual switch for each VLAN to which the application requires connectivity;

create a virtual network adapter in the virtual machine for each virtual port that was created;

couple each virtual network adapter to a respective virtual port; and

configure networking attributes of each virtual network adapter based upon the at least one VLAN to which the application requires connectivity.

8. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the memory system includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to:

determine that a second physical network interface in the host device includes the same connectivity as the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs and, in response, team the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface and communicatively couple the virtual switch the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface.

9. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the configuring the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter includes configuring at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) hostname, and a Network Interface Controller (NIC) specific route.

10. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the memory system includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to:

provide the application on the virtual machine in response to selecting the host device based on the connectivity provided by the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs.

11. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the memory system includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to:

provide an agent on the host device, wherein the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter are configured using the agent.

12. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the memory system includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to:

create a virtual port group in the virtual switch for at least one of the VLANs to which the application requires connectivity.

13. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the configuring the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter includes at least one of enabling a network protocol, disabling a network protocol, assigning a server address, and registering with a Domain Name System (DNS) server.

14. A method for automatically configuring a virtual system, comprising:

determining, by a controller, a connectivity provided by a first physical network interface on a host device to a plurality of virtual local area networks (VLANs);

automatically creating, by the controller, a virtual switch on the host device;

coupling, by the controller, the virtual switch to the first physical network interface;

providing, by the controller, an application on a virtual machine on the host device, wherein the application requires connectivity to at least one of the plurality of VLANs;

creating, by the controller, a virtual port in the virtual switch for each VLAN to which the application requires connectivity;

creating, by the controller, a virtual network adapter in the virtual machine for each virtual port that was created;

coupling, by the controller, each virtual network adapter to a respective virtual port; and

configuring, by the controller, networking attributes of each virtual network adapter based upon the at least one VLAN to which the application requires connectivity.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the controller, that a second physical network interface in the host device includes the same connectivity as the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs and, in response, teaming the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface and communicatively couple the virtual switch, the first physical network interface and the second physical network interface.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuring the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter includes configuring at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) hostname, and a Network Interface Controller (NIC) specific route.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, by the controller, the application on the virtual machine in response to selecting the host device based on the connectivity provided by the first physical network interface to the plurality of VLANs.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing, by the controller, an agent on the host device, wherein the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter are configured using the agent.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

creating, by the controller, a virtual port group in the virtual switch for at least one of the VLANs to which the application requires connectivity.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the configuring the networking attributes of each virtual network adapter includes at least one of enabling a network protocol, disabling a network protocol, assigning a server address, and registering with a Domain Name System (DNS) server.