Global VLAN services

• US 9,544,219 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chong, Chi Lung, Venkata, Ganesh D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, REBECCA E
• Application Number:
  US14/815,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20160036774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 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 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/465 wherein a single frame includes a plurality of VLAN tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch in a network of interconnected switches. The switch includes a forwarding domain apparatus and a forwarding apparatus. The forwarding domain apparatus maintains a mapping between a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and a first global VLAN identifier in a local storage device. The global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN. The mapping is independent of a type of the VLAN identifier. During operation, the forwarding apparatus encapsulates a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header. The encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network based on the network encapsulation header. The forwarding apparatus includes the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header of the first packet.

Claims

1. A switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the switch comprises:

a storage device;

forwarding domain circuitry configured to maintain a mapping that maps a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and an internal virtual identifier to a first global VLAN identifier in the storage device, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network of interconnected switches and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the internal virtual identifier is local and internal to the switch, and not included in a packet; and

forwarding circuitry configured to;

encapsulate a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the network encapsulation header; and

include the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header encapsulating the first packet, wherein a set of bits representing the global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header indicates a single value.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the mapping further maps the internal identifier to an egress port associated with the first global VLAN identifier;

and

wherein the internal identifier is distinct from a VLAN identifier.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein the internal identifier and the first global VLAN identifier are specified in a port profile comprising a media access control (MAC) address, wherein the port profile represents a set of configurations for a port;

and

wherein the forwarding domain circuitry is further configured to, in response to identifying the MAC address as a source address in a packet, apply the port profile to a local ingress port of the packet.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the set of bits representing the global VLAN identifier includes a first subset of bits in a first header field and a second subset of bits in a second header field in the network encapsulation header in a continuous representation indicating the single value.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding domain circuitry is further configured to maintain a second mapping between a second VLAN identifier and the first global VLAN identifier, wherein the first and second VLAN identifiers are associated with a same service level for a tenant.

6. The switch of claim 5, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to include the first global VLAN identifier in a second network encapsulation header encapsulating a second packet in response to identifying the second VLAN identifier in the second packet.

7. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to determine a port of the switch as a network extension interface for a second packet, wherein the network extension interface is an egress port associated with a second network of interconnected switches, and wherein the second packet includes a tag representing the first global VLAN identifier.

8. The switch of claim 7, further comprising tunnel management circuitry configured to encapsulate the second packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the network extension interface is a tunnel interface, and wherein the tunnel encapsulation header is distinct from the network encapsulation header.

9. The switch of claim 1, further comprising spanning tree circuitry configured to:

identify a spanning tree instance associated with the first VLAN identifier; and

associate the spanning tree instance with the first global VLAN identifier.

10. The switch of claim 9, wherein the spanning tree circuitry is further configured to associate the spanning tree instance with a local port in response to identifying the local port as being configured with the first global VLAN identifier.

11. A computer-executable method, comprising:

maintaining a mapping that maps a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and an internal virtual identifier to a first global VLAN identifier in a storage device of a switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network of interconnected switches and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the internal virtual identifier is local and internal to the switch, and not included in a packet;

encapsulating a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the network encapsulation header; and

including the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header encapsulating the first packet, wherein a set of bits representing the global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header indicates a single value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mapping further maps the internal identifier to an egress port associated with the first global VLAN identifier;

and

wherein the internal identifier is distinct from a VLAN identifier.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the internal identifier and the first global VLAN identifier are specified in a port profile comprising a media access control (MAC) address, wherein the port profile represents a set of configurations for a port;

and

wherein the method further comprises, in response to identifying the MAC address as a source address in a packet, applying the port profile to a local ingress port of the packet.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of bits representing the global VLAN identifier includes a first subset of bits in a first header field and a second subset of bits in a second header field in the network encapsulation header in a continuous representation indicating the single value.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining a second mapping between a second VLAN identifier and the first global VLAN identifier, wherein the first and second VLAN identifiers are associated with a same service level for a tenant.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising including the first global VLAN identifier in a second network encapsulation header encapsulating a second packet in response to identifying the second VLAN identifier in the second packet.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a port of the switch as a network extension interface for a second packet, wherein the network extension interface is an egress port associated with a second network of interconnected switches, and wherein the second packet includes a tag representing the first global VLAN identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising encapsulating the second packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the network extension interface is a tunnel interface, and wherein the tunnel encapsulation header is distinct from the network encapsulation header.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a spanning tree instance associated with the first VLAN identifier; and

associating the spanning tree instance with the first global VLAN identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising associating the spanning tree instance with a local port in response to identifying the local port as being configured with the first global VLAN identifier.

21. A computing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to perform a method, the method comprising;

maintaining a mapping that maps a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and an internal virtual identifier to a first global VLAN identifier in a storage device of a switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network of interconnected switches and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the internal virtual identifier is local and internal to the switch, and not included in a packet;

encapsulating a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network of interconnected switches based on the encapsulation header; and

including the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header encapsulating the first packet, wherein a set of bits representing the global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header indicates a single value.