Using virtual networking devices and routing information to associate network addresses with computing nodes

• US 9,722,871 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Kevin Christopher, Brandwine, Eric Jason, Doane, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Divito, Walter
• Application Number:
  US14/715,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing managed virtual computer networks that have a configured logical network topology with virtual networking devices, such as by a network-accessible configurable network service, with corresponding networking functionality provided for communications between multiple computing nodes of the virtual computer network by emulating functionality that would be provided by the virtual networking devices if they were physically present. In some situations, the networking functionality provided for a managed computer network of a client includes receiving routing communications directed to the virtual networking devices and using included routing information to update the configuration of the managed computer network, such as to allow at least some computing nodes of a managed computer network to dynamically signal particular types of uses of one or more indicated target network addresses and/or to dynamically signal use of particular external public network addresses based on such routing information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

instantiating, by one or more computing systems of a configurable network service, a virtual computer network for a client based on configuration information received from the client, wherein the configuration information indicates that a virtual router device of the virtual computer network interconnects multiple computing nodes of the virtual computer network;

intercepting, by the one or more computing systems, a routing communication that is directed to the virtual router device and includes routing information for the virtual computer network, wherein the routing information indicates that a first computing node of the multiple computing nodes is using a first virtual network address of the virtual computer network in a different manner than was previously specified in the configuration information;

updating, by the one or more computing systems and based on the routing information, the configuration information for the virtual computer network to associate the first virtual network address with the first computing node; and

sending, by the one or more computing systems and based at least in part on the updated configuration information, a communication directed to the first virtual network address to the first computing node, wherein the sending of the communication includes emulating functionality of the virtual router device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the instantiating of the virtual computer network includes:

receiving, by the one or more computing systems, a request from the client to create the virtual computer network;

selecting, by the one or more computing systems and for use with the virtual computer network, a subset of computing nodes provided by the configurable network service for use by a plurality of clients of the configurable network service; and

creating, by the one or more computing systems, the virtual computer network for the client using the computing nodes of the selected subset.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the configuration information before the instantiating of the virtual computer network, wherein the configuration information specifies a configured manner for using the first virtual network address that includes associating the first virtual network address with a second computing node of the multiple computing nodes, and wherein the instantiating of the virtual computer network further includes, before the intercepting of the routing communication, assigning multiple virtual network addresses for the virtual computer network to at least some of the multiple computing nodes, including associating the first virtual network address with the second computing node based on the configuration information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising, before the intercepting of the routing communication, assigning the first virtual network address to a second computing node, and forwarding to the second computing node one or more initial communications directed to the first virtual network address, wherein the forwarding of the one or more initial communications includes emulating functionality of the virtual router device for the forwarding.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the configuration information further indicates that the first virtual network address is allowed to be associated with at least the first computing node, and wherein the updating of the configuration information includes determining, by the one or more computing systems, that the first computing node is authorized to be associated with the first virtual network address based at least in part on the configuration information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the first virtual network address is configured to be an anycast address for the virtual computer network that is associated with a group of computing nodes, and wherein the updating of the configuration information includes designating that the first computing node is part of the group.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein a second computing node is also in the group, and wherein the method further comprises, after the updating of the configuration information, forwarding one or more additional communications directed to the first virtual network address to the second computing node instead of to the first computing node.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the first virtual network address is configured to be migratable between and serially associated with two or more of the multiple computing nodes, and wherein the updating of the configuration information for the first virtual computer network includes transferring an association of the first virtual network address from a second computing node to the first computing node.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the routing information in the routing communication further indicates that a third of the multiple computing nodes is newly associated with a second virtual network address, and wherein the method further comprises determining to prevent the third computing node from being associated with the second virtual network address based at least in part on the configuration information.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the instantiating of the virtual computer network includes emulating functionality of the virtual router device without using a physical device in an underlying substrate network on which the virtual computer network is overlaid to provide routing operations of the virtual router device for communications of the virtual computer network, and wherein the intercepting of the routing communication includes receiving the routing communication from a sender, and inhibiting forwarding the routing communication over the substrate network.

11. A system, comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

one or more memories with stored instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardware processors, cause the at least one hardware processor to;

provide a virtual computer network for a client based on configuration information received from the client, the configuration information indicating that a virtual router device interconnects multiple computing nodes of the virtual computer network;

receive a routing communication that is directed to the virtual router device and includes network routing information for the virtual computer network, wherein the network routing information indicates a first virtual network address of the virtual computer network that is newly associated with an indicated computing node of the multiple computing nodes; and

forward, based at least in part on the network routing information, a communication directed to the first virtual network address to the indicated computing node, wherein the forwarding of the communication includes emulating functionality of the virtual router device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the providing of the virtual computer network includes, before the receiving of the routing communication, assigning multiple virtual network addresses for the virtual computer network to at least some of the multiple computing nodes, the assigning including associating the first virtual network address with the first computing node based on the configuration information, and wherein the stored instructions include software instructions that further cause the at least one processor to update, based on the routing information, the configuration information for the virtual computer network to associate the first virtual network address with the second computing node.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the stored instructions further cause the at least one hardware processor to provide at least some functionality of a configurable network service that provides virtual computer networks to multiple clients of the configurable network service, and wherein the providing of the virtual computer network for the client further includes:

receiving a request from the client to create the virtual computer network;

selecting a subset of computing nodes provided by the configurable network service for use by the multiple clients; and

implementing the virtual computer network for the client using the computing nodes of the selected subset.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored contents that cause a computing system to at least:

provide, by the computing system, a virtual computer network for a client based on configuration information received from the client, the configuration information indicating that a virtual router device of the virtual computer network interconnects multiple computing nodes of the virtual computer network;

receive, by the computing system, a routing communication that is directed to the virtual router device and includes routing information for the virtual computer network, wherein the routing information indicates an external public network address for use by computer systems external to the virtual computer network;

initiate a routing announcement external to the virtual computer network indicating that the external public network address is now associated with the virtual computer network; and

receive, by the computing system and after initiating the routing announcement, an external communication directed to the external public network address from a sending computer system external to the virtual computer network, and forward the external communication to one or more computing nodes of the multiple computing nodes, wherein the forwarding of the external communication includes emulating functionality of the virtual router device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the routing communication is sent by a first computing node of the multiple computing nodes, and wherein the one or more computing nodes to which the external communication is forwarded include the first computing node.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the stored contents include software instructions that, when executed by the computing system, further cause the computing system to update the configuration information for the virtual computer network based on the routing information.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the computing system is part of a configurable network service that provides multiple virtual computer networks to multiple remote clients, wherein the configurable network service provides a plurality of computing nodes for use with the multiple virtual computer networks and uses a subset of the plurality to provide the virtual computer network for the client, and wherein the initiated routing announcement is provided to computing devices external to the configurable network service and indicates that the external public network address is associated with the configurable network service.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the initiating of the routing announcement includes sending information about the external public network address to one or more computing devices of the client external to the virtual computer network that are configured to perform external routing announcements, the sent information enabling those one or more computing devices of the client to perform the external routing announcement.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the computing system is part of a configurable network service that provides the virtual computer network, wherein the external public network address is assigned to the client by one or more entities external to the configurable network service, and wherein the stored contents further cause the computing system to, before initiating the routing announcement, verify that the client is authorized to use the external public network address outside the configurable network service.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the routing information in the received routing communication further indicates an additional external public network address for use with the virtual computer network, and wherein the stored contents further cause the computing system to determine, based at least in part on the configuration information, to prevent initiation of any routing announcements external to the virtual computer network that indicate that the additional external public network address is associated with the virtual computer network.