Virtual extensible LAN tunnel keepalives

• US 9,548,873 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amit K., Koganti, Phanidhar, Yu, Shunjia, Venkatesh, Vardarajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Atkins, Jr., George
• Application Number:
  US14/618,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20150229724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/026 Details of "hello" or keep-alive messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch that is a member of a fabric switch. The switch includes a keepalive response module that identifies a keepalive response packet that does not correspond to any keepalive packet previously transmitted by the switch. The switch also includes a switch identifier extraction module that extracts a switch identifier from a payload of the keepalive response packet, where the switch identifier corresponds to another member switch in the fabric switch. The switch further includes a forwarding module that constructs a packet that includes the payload and is destined to the other member switch.

Claims

1. A switch in a network of interconnected switches, comprising:

one or more ports;

keepalive response circuitry configured to decapsulate a first encapsulation header encapsulating a keepalive response packet, wherein a destination identifier of the first encapsulation header corresponds to the switch, and wherein the keepalive response packet indicates whether a tunnel is active;

switch identifier extraction circuitry configured to extract a switch identifier from the keepalive response packet, wherein the switch identifier corresponds to a second switch in the network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

forwarding circuitry configured to encapsulate the keepalive response with a second encapsulation header, wherein a destination identifier of the second encapsulation header corresponds to the second switch.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first encapsulation header is based on a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN).

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to:

determine an output port for the encapsulated keepalive response packet based on the extracted switch identifier; and

transmit the encapsulated keepalive response packet via the determined output port.

4. The switch of claim 1,

wherein the second encapsulation header is based on one of:

Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL); and

Internet Protocol (IP).

5. The switch of claim 1, further comprising:

fabric switch management circuitry adapted to determine a same reserved address for the switch and the second switch.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the keepalive response packet includes;

information relating to the tunnel, which is between the switch and a remote switch.

7. The switch of claim 6, wherein the keepalive response packet further includes a network identifier that indicates a keepalive message and is set to one of:

a reserved value;

a value of 0;

a value configured by a user; and

a value that is provisioned between the switch and the remote switch.

8. The switch of claim 6, wherein the extracted switch identifier is a media access control (MAC) address that includes the destination identifier of the second encapsulation header in an encoded format.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

decapsulating, by a switch in a network of interconnected switches, a first encapsulation header encapsulating a keepalive response packet, wherein a destination identifier of the first encapsulation header corresponds to the switch, and wherein the keepalive response packet indicates whether a tunnel is active;

extracting a switch identifier from the keepalive response packet, wherein the switch identifier corresponds to a second switch in the network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

encapsulating the keepalive response packet with a second encapsulation header, wherein a destination identifier of the second encapsulation header corresponds to the second switch.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first encapsulation header is based on a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN).

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining an output port for the encapsulated keepalive response packet based on the extracted switch identifier; and

transmitting the encapsulated keepalive response packet via the determined output port.

12. The method of claim 9,

wherein the second encapsulation header is based on one of:

Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL); and

Internet Protocol (IP).

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a same reserved address for the switch and the second switch.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the keepalive response packet includes

information relating to the tunnel, which is between the switch and a remote switch.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the keepalive response packet further includes a network identifier that indicates a keepalive message and is set to one of:

a reserved value;

a value of 0;

a value configured by a user; and

a value that is provisioned between the switch and the remote switch.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the extracted switch identifier is a media access control (MAC) address that includes the destination identifier of the second encapsulation header in an encoded format.

17. A computer system for monitoring data flow, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising;

decapsulating, by a switch in a network of interconnected switches, a first encapsulation header encapsulating a keepalive response packet, wherein a destination identifier of the first encapsulation header corresponds to the switch, and wherein the keepalive response packet indicates whether a tunnel is active;

extracting a switch identifier from the keepalive response packet, wherein the switch identifier corresponds to a second switch in the network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

encapsulating the keepalive response with a second encapsulation header, wherein a destination identifier of the second encapsulation header corresponds to the second switch.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the first encapsulation header is based on a virtual extensible local area network (VXLAN).

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an output port for the encapsulated keepalive response packet based on the extracted switch identifier; and

transmitting the encapsulated keepalive response packet via the determined output port.

20. The computer system of claim 17,

wherein the second encapsulation header is based on one of:

Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL); and

Internet Protocol (IP).

21. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a same reserved address for the switch and the second switch.

22. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the keepalive response packet includes;

information relating to the tunnel, which is between the switch and a remote switch.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the keepalive response packet further includes a network identifier that indicates a keepalive message and is set to one of:

a reserved value;

a value of 0;

a value configured by a user; and

a value that is provisioned between the switch and the remote switch.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the extracted switch identifier is a media access control (MAC) address that includes the destination identifier of the second encapsulation header in an encoded format.