High availability L3 gateways for logical networks

• US 9,503,371 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thakkar, Pankaj, Jackson, Ethan J., Basler, Benjamin C., Garcia, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US14/166,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20150063360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for a network controller in a network control system that manages a plurality of logical networks. The method receives a specification of a logical network that includes a logical router. The method selects at least two host machines to implement a routing table for the logical router from several host machines designated for hosting logical routers. The selected host machines include a designated master host machine for the routing table. The method generates data tuples for provisioning a set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to the selected host machines. The data tuples specify an order for the selected host machines with the designated master host machine as the first host machine in the specified order.

Claims

1. For a network controller in a network control system that manages a plurality of logical networks, a method comprising:

receiving a specification of a logical network that comprises a logical router;

selecting at least two host machines to implement a routing table for the logical router from a plurality of host machines designated for hosting logical routers, the selected host machines comprising a designated master host machine for the routing table; and

generating data tuples for provisioning a set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to the selected host machines, wherein the data tuples specify an ordered list of tunnel encapsulations for use by the managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network in order for the managed forwarding elements to send packets to the routing table implemented at the selected host machines with a tunnel encapsulation for a tunnel to the designated master host machine as the first host machine in the specified ordered list.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating data tuples for the routing table.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

distributing the generated data tuples for the routing table to the selected host machines; and

distributing the generated data tuples for provisioning the set of managed forwarding elements to the set of managed forwarding elements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein distributing the generated data tuples for the routing table to the selected host machines comprises:

identifying, for each of the selected host machines, a network controller that manages the selected host machine; and

distributing the generated data tuples for the routing table to the identified network controllers for subsequent distribution to the selected host machines.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a message that the designated master host machine has become inactive;

designating one of the previously-selected host machines as a new master host machine;

selecting a new host machine to implement the routing table; and

generating new data tuples for provisioning the set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to the selected host machines, wherein the new data tuples specify an ordered list of tunnel encapsulations for use by the managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network in order for the managed forwarding elements to send packets to the routing table implemented at the selected host machines with a tunnel encapsulation for a tunnel to the new designated master host machine as the first host machine in the specified ordered list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the ordered list specifies to use the tunnel encapsulation for the tunnel to the designated master host machine unless the managed forwarding element detects that the designated master host machine is inactive.

5. The method of 2, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements implement the logical network at a set of host machines that does not include the selected host machines, the method further comprising generating data tuples for provisioning managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network at the selected host machines.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

distributing the generated data tuples for the routing table to the selected host machines using a first protocol; and

distributing the generated data tuples for provisioning the managed forwarding elements at the selected host machines to the selected host machines using a second protocol different than the first protocol.

9. For a network controller in a network control system that manages a plurality of logical networks, a method comprising:

receiving a specification of a logical network that comprises a logical router and at least two logical switches attached to first and second ports of the logical router, wherein the logical router comprises a third port for connecting to external networks;

selecting at least two host machines to implement a routing table for the logical router from a plurality of host machines designated for hosting logical routers, the selected host machines comprising a designated master host machine for the routing table; and

generating data tuples for provisioning a set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to the selected host machines, wherein the data tuples specify an order for the selected host machines with the designated master host machine as the first host machine in the specified order.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data tuples comprise flow entries that specify tunnel encapsulations for tunneling the data packets to the selected host machines.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the logical router comprises a plurality of uplink ports for connecting to external networks.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the routing table is a full routing table for the logical router, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements performs layer 2 (2) switching and does not perform layer 3 (3 routing).

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the routing table is an abbreviated routing table for the logical router that only implements a connection between the logical network and external networks, wherein the set of managed forwarding elements performs layer 2 (2) switching and layer 3 (3 routing).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein packets received at one of the selected host machines have previously been routed by one of the managed forwarding elements.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a message that the designated master host machine has become inactive;

designating one of the previously-selected host machines as a new master host machine;

selecting a new host machine to implement the routing table; and

generating new data tuples for provisioning the set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to the selected host machines, wherein the data tuples specify an order for the selected host machines with the new designated master host machine as the first host machine in the specified order.

16. For a managed forwarding element that operates in a host machine to implement a logical network that includes a logical router, wherein the host machine hosts a virtual machine in the logical network, a method comprising:

receiving a packet from the virtual machine;

determining that the packet requires processing by a routing table for a logical router of the logical network, the routing table implemented on at least first and second gateway host machines;

when the first gateway host machine is active, sending the packet to the first gateway host machine irrespective of a status of the second gateway host machine; and

only sending the packet to a second gateway host when the first gateway host machine is inactive.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the packet requires processing by the routing table comprises performing a logical switching operation to forward the packet to a logical egress port of a logical switch that interfaces with the logical router.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein sending the packet to the first gateway host comprises encapsulating the packet in a tunnel to the first gateway host, wherein the encapsulated packet stores a logical context that identifies the logical egress port of the logical switch.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the routing table comprises all routes for the logical router.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the packet requires processing by the routing table comprises:

performing a logical switching operation to forward the packet to a logical egress port of a logical switch that interfaces with the logical router; and

performing a logical routing operation to forward the packet to a logical egress port of the logical router that interfaces with an external network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein sending the packet to the first gateway host comprises encapsulating the packet in a tunnel to the first gateway host, wherein the encapsulated packet stores a logical context that identifies the logical egress port of the logical router.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the routing table comprises only routes between addresses on the logical network and addresses on the external network.

23. For a network controller in a network control system that manages a plurality of logical networks, a method comprising:

receiving a message that a first gateway host machine, that implements a routing table for a logical router managed by the network control system, has become inactive, the gateway host machine located in a particular cluster of gateway host machines, wherein the routing table is also implemented by a second gateway host machine;

selecting a third gateway host machine from the particular cluster of gateway host machines to implement the routing table; and

generating new data tuples for provisioning a set of managed forwarding elements that implement the logical network to send data packets that require processing by the routing table to second and third gateway host machines, wherein the data tuples specify the second gateway host machine as a prioritized destination for the packets.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein data tuples generated for provisioning the set of managed forwarding elements prior to the first gateway host machine becoming inactive specified the first gateway host machine as a prioritized destination for the packets.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising distributing previously-generated data tuples that define the routing table to the selected third gateway host machine in order for the third gateway host machine to implement the routing table.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the third gateway host machine implements the routing table within a namespace.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the first gateway host machine implements routing tables for a plurality of logical routers, wherein for each logical router in the plurality of logical routers, one of a plurality of network controllers selects a new gateway host machine for implementing the routing table.