Edge-gateway multipath method and system

• US 9,722,815 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VeloCloud Networks, LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mukundan, Sunil, Connors, Stephen Craig, Woo, Steven Michael, Speeter, Thomas Harold, Mayya, Ajit Ramachandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/321,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20150016249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service

Abstract

In one exemplary aspect, an edge-gateway multipath method includes the step of providing an edge device in a local network communicatively coupled with a cloud-computing service in a cloud-computing network. A set of wide area network (WAN) links connected to the edge device are automatically detected. The WAN links are automatically measured without the need for an external router. The edge device is communicatively coupled with a central configuration point in the cloud-computing network. The method further includes the step of downloading, from the central configuration point, an enterprise-specific configuration data into the edge device. The enterprise-specific configuration data includes the gateway information. The edge device is communicatively coupled with a gateway in the cloud-computing network. The communicatively coupling of the edge device with the gateway includes a multipath (MP) protocol.

Claims

1. An edge-gateway muitipath method comprising:

providing an edge device in a local network communicatively coupled with a cloud-computing service in a cloud-computing network;

automatically detecting a set of wide area network (WAN) links connected directly to the edge device or via an intermediate router;

automatically measuring the bandwidth of the WAN links communicatively coupling the edge device with a central configuration point in the cloud-computing network;

downloading, from the central configuration point, an enterprise-specific configuration data into the edge device, wherein the enterprise-specific configuration data comprises a gateway information;

communicatively coupling the edge device with a gateway in the cloud-computing network, wherein the communicatively coupling of the edge device with the gateway comprises a rnultipath (MP) protocol, and wherein the MP protocol is implemented by combining a set of multiple network paths into a composite connection that transmits a set of data packets from a single user packet flow across all oaths simultaneously;

measuring an available bandwidth on each path of the set of multiple network paths between the edge device and the gateway;

utilizing a deep-packet inspection engine to identify an application and an application type in a MP network flow;

determining an optimal multipath network flow setting that ensures a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the multipath network flow; and

setting another MP network flow parameter based on the optimal multipath network flow setting.

2. The edge-gateway multipath method of claim 1, wherein the cloud-computing network comprises a public cloud network.

3. The edge-gateway multipath method of claim 1, wherein the edge device comprises a virtual machine edge device.

4. The edge-gateway multipath method of claim 1, wherein the gateway is deployed as a virtual machine gateway.

5. The edge-gateway multipath method of claim 1, wherein the gateway comprises a network node equipped for interfacing with another network utilizing different communication protocols.

6. The edge-gateway multipath method of claim 1,

wherein a software as a service (SaaS) application interacts with the edge device and the gateway to determine a value of a specified network characteristic communicatively coupling the SaaS application with the edge device and resetting the QoS parameter based on the value of the specified network characteristic.

7. A computerized system comprising:

a processor configured to execute instructions;

a memory containing instructions when executed on the processor, causes the processor to perform operations that;

provide an edge device in a local network communicatively coupled with a cloud-computing service in a cloud-computing network;

automatically detect a set of wide area network (WAN) links connected to the edge device;

automatically measure the WAN links without using an external router;

communicatively couple the edge device with a central configuration point in the cloud-computing network;

download, from the central configuration point, an enterprise-specific configuration data into the edge device, wherein the enterprise-specific configuration data comprises a gateway information;

communicatively couple the edge device with a gateway in the cloud-computing network, wherein the communicatively coupling of the edge device with the gateway comprises a multipath (MP) protocol, and wherein the MP protocol is implemented by combining a set of multiple network paths into a composite connection that transmits a set of data packets from a single user packet flow across all paths simultaneously;

measure an available bandwidth on each path of the set of multiple network paths between the edge device and the gateway; and

utilize a deep-packet inspection engine to identify an application and an application type in a MP network flow.

8. An edge-gate ay multipath network system comprising:

an edge device in a local network communicatively coupled with a cloud-computing service in a cloud-computing network, wherein, upon installation, the edge device automatically detects a set of wide area network (WAN) links connected to the edge device, wherein the edge device automatically measures the WAN link attributes, wherein the edge device downloads, from an orchestrator, an enterprise-specific configuration data and a set of service chain rules, wherein the enterprise-specific configuration data comprises a gateway information, wherein the edge device is communicatively couple the orchestrator, and wherein the edge device communicatively couples with a gateway in the cloud-computing network based on the enterprise-specific configuration data and the set of service chain rules, and wherein the communicatively coupling of the edge device with the gateway comprises a multipath (MP) protocolprotocol, and wherein the MP protocol is implemented by combining a set of multiple network paths into a composite connection that transmits a set of data packets from a single user packet flow across all paths simultaneously, wherein the edge device measures an available bandwidth on each path of the set of multiple network paths between the edge device and the gateway, and wherein the edge device utilizes a deep-packet inspection engine to identify an application and an application type in a MP network flow;

the orchestrator comprising a central configuration point in the cloud-computing network, wherein the orchestrator receives a heartbeat communication from the edge device and communicates the enterprise-specific configuration data and the set of service chain rules to the edge device as a response;

a gateway comprising a network node equipped for interfacing with another computer network utilizing different communication protocols, wherein the gateway is implemented with the cloud-computing service, wherein the gateway has no initial setup configuration, wherein the edge device passes an enterprise identification of the edge device and a local configuration to the gateway, wherein the gateway uses the initial setup configuration to automatically create multiple isolated configurations-per-enterprise, and wherein the gateway is deployed as a virtual machine gateway.

9. The edge-gateway multipath network system of claim 8;

wherein the edge device identifies an application and determines the proper quality of service (QoS) methods to apply with respect to the application when the edge device initially communicatively couples with the gateway and communicates a control message to the gateway.

10. The edge-gateway muitipath network system of claim 9, wherein upon receipt of the control message from the edge device, the gateway updates a Qos network parameter of the network flow without deleting a current network flow.

11. The edge-gateway multipath network system of claim 8, wherein the edge device comprises a virtual machine edge device.