System and method for using a packet process proxy to support a flooding mechanism in a middleware machine environment

• US 9,634,849 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnsen, Bjrn Dag, Mayhead, Martin Paul, Trudbakken, Ola
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, Wutchung
• Application Number:
  US13/546,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 370230, 370400-401, 370389, 370392, 370428, 709224, 709225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• 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 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/32 Flooding denial of service attacks H04L63/1458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/10 characterised by the switching fabric construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/111 Switch interfaces, e.g. port details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/358 Infiniband Switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system and method can support flooding mechanism using a packet process proxy in a middleware machine environment. The middleware machine environment can comprise a gateway instance that includes an external port for receiving data packets from an external network. The middleware machine environment also comprises one or more host servers, each of which is associated with one or more virtual machines. Furthermore, said host servers can provide virtual interfaces that belong to a virtual hub associated with the gateway instance. At least one said packet is a flooded packet that is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port. The gateway instance can send the flooded packet to a designated virtual interface on a host server, and a packet process proxy on the host server can forward the flooded packet to a virtual machine on another host server for processing this packet.

Claims

1. A system for supporting flooding mechanism in a middleware machine environment including one or more host servers operable on one or more microprocessors, comprising:

a gateway instance, wherein the gateway instance is associated with an external port that is adapted to receive one or more data packets from an external network into the middleware environment;

a plurality of virtual interfaces on the one or more host servers, wherein each of said one or more host servers is associated with one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets; and

a packet process proxy residing on a host server from the one or more host servers,

wherein when at least one packet of the one or more data packets is specified with an unknown destination address when it is received at the external port of the gateway instance,

the gateway instance operates to send the at least one packet to a designated virtual interface on the host server that is dedicated to handling data packets specified with unknown destination addresses and that is associated with the packet process proxy via a unicast or a single-member multicast, and

the packet process proxy operates to forward the at least one packet directly from the packet process proxy to a virtual interface associated with a target virtual machine from the one or more host servers to process the at least one packet.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hardware context table that contains a plurality of contexts that can be associated with one or more said virtual interfaces.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the gateway instance operates to determine whether an incoming packet received at the external port specifies a virtual interface that is associated with a context in the hardware context table.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein:

an incoming packet received at the external port is considered to have an unknown destination address when the incoming packet is destined for a virtual interface that is not associated with any context in the hardware context table.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the packet process proxy is used with no incorrect packet replication in a network partition with various numbers of virtual machines (VMs) and various numbers of virtual interfaces.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the target virtual machine resides on the host server.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the target virtual machine resides on another host server.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one virtual interface is a parent virtual interface that is associated with one or more child virtual interfaces, wherein policy information associated with the parent virtual interface on the gateway limits addresses and/or identifications that the one or more child virtual interfaces can be associated with.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein:

the parent virtual interface is associated with a context in a hardware context table, and at least one child virtual interfaces is not associated with any context in the hardware context table.

10. A method for supporting flooding mechanism in a middleware machine environment including one or more host servers operable on one or more microprocessors, comprising:

providing a gateway instance, wherein the gateway instance is associated with an external port that is adapted to receive one or more data packets from an external network into the middleware environment;

providing said one or more host servers, wherein each of said one or more host servers is associated with one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets; and

providing a packet process proxy residing on a host server from the one or more host servers;

receiving at least one packet via the external port at the gateway instance from the external network, wherein the at least one packet is specified with an unknown destination address;

sending, via the gateway instance, the at least one packet to a designated virtual interface on the host server that is dedicated to handling data packets specified with unknown destination addresses and that is associated with the packet process proxy via a unicast or a single-member multicast; and

forwarding, via the packet process proxy on the host server, the at least one packet directly from the packet process proxy to a virtual interface associated with a target virtual machine from the one or more host servers to process the at least one packet.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a hardware context table that contains a plurality of contexts that can be associated with one or more said virtual interfaces.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining, via the gateway instance, whether an incoming packet received at the external port specifies a virtual interface that is associated with a context in the hardware context table.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

considering an incoming packet received at the external port to have an unknown destination address when the incoming packet is destined for a virtual interface that is not associated with any context in the hardware context table.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

using the packet process proxy with no incorrect packet replication in a network partition with various numbers of virtual machines (VMs) and various numbers of virtual interfaces.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

allowing the target virtual machine to reside on the host server.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

allowing the target virtual machine to reside on another host server.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

allowing at least one virtual interface to be a parent virtual interface that is associated with one or more child virtual interfaces, wherein policy information associated with the parent virtual interface on the gateway instances limits addresses and/or identifications that the one or more child virtual interfaces can be associated with, and wherein the parent virtual interface is associated with a context in a hardware context table, and at least one child virtual interfaces is not associated with any context in the hardware context table.

18. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for supporting flooding mechanism in a middleware machine environment including one or more host servers that when executed cause a system to perform the steps of:

using a gateway instance, wherein the gateway instance is associated with an external port that is adapted to receive one or more data packets from an external network into the middleware environment;

using the one or more host servers, wherein each of said one or more host servers is associated with one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets; and

using a packet process proxy residing on a host server from the one or more host servers;

receiving at least one packet via the external port at the gateway instance from the external network, wherein the at least one packet is specified with an unknown destination address;

sending, via the gateway instance, the at least one packet to a designated virtual interface on the host server that is dedicated to handling data packets specified with unknown destination addresses and that is associated with the packet process proxy via a unicast or single-member multicast; and

forwarding, via the packet process proxy on the host server, the at least one packet directly from the packet process proxy to a virtual interface associated with a target virtual machine from the one or more host servers to process the at least one packet.