Data traffic policy management system

• US 9,942,158 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shetty, Sudhir Vittal, Chawla, Gaurav, White, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHITAYEWOLDETSADI, BERHANU
• Application Number:
  US14/496,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 709221-245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

An information handling system (IHS) network includes a switch IHS that coupled together a plurality of server IHSs. A source software-defined (SD) virtual appliance is located on one of the plurality of server IHSs. A destination SD virtual appliance is located on one of the plurality of server IHSs. An SD network controller is located on at least one of the plurality of server IHSs. The SD network controller is configured to receive a data traffic flow identifier and policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy from the source SD virtual appliance. The SD network controller determines a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier. The SD network controller then configures each of the plurality of ports using the at least one data traffic flow policy.

Claims

1. A data traffic policy management system, comprising:

a first physical server information handling system (IHS) including;

a network interface controller; and

a software-defined (SD) network controller that is coupled to the network interface controller, wherein the SD network controller is configured to;

receive, through the network interface controller from a source SD virtual appliance that is provided on a second physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS;

a data traffic flow identifier that identifies a first server-to-server data traffic flow that is a first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that was created by the source SD virtual appliance, and that is destined for a destination SD virtual appliance on a third physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS; and

policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy for the first server-to-server data traffic flow, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy provides a first priority to the first server-to-server data traffic flow between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance that is based on the first server-to-server data traffic flow being the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow;

determine a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configure each of the plurality of ports with a first configuration using the at least one data traffic flow policy, wherein each of the plurality of ports is provided with the first configuration prior to the configuration of each of the plurality of ports with a second configuration for a second server-to-server data traffic flow that is a second type of server-to-server data traffic flow that is different than the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy that provides a second priority that is different than the first priority, that is created by at least one SD virtual appliance provided on at least one physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS, and that is destined for at least one SD virtual appliance provided on at least one physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS, wherein the second priority is based on the second server-to-server data traffic flow being the second type of server-to-server data traffic flow.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the SD network controller is configured to:

retrieve the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is received from the source SD virtual appliance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that identifies the SD network controller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are included in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is received from the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the SD network controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

7. An information handling system (IHS) network, comprising:

a physical switch IHS;

a plurality of physical server IHSs coupled to the physical switch IHS;

a source software-defined (SD) virtual appliance that is provided on a first physical server IHS of the plurality of physical server IHSs;

a destination SD virtual appliance that is provided on a second physical server IHS of the plurality of physical server IHSs; and

an SD network controller that is provided on at least one of the plurality of physical server IHSs, wherein the SD network controller is configured to;

receive, from the source SD virtual appliance;

a data traffic flow identifier that identifies a first server-to-server data traffic flow that is a first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that was created by the source SD virtual appliance, and that is destined for the destination SD virtual appliance; and

policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy for the first server-to-server data traffic flow, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy provides a first priority to the first server-to-server data traffic flow between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance that is based on the first server-to-server data traffic flow being the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow;

determine a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configure each of the plurality of ports with a first configuration using the at least one data traffic flow policy, wherein each of the plurality of ports is provided with the first configuration prior to the configuration of each of the plurality of ports with a second configuration for a second server-to-server data traffic flow that is a second type of server-to-server data traffic flow that is different than the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy that provides a second priority that is different than the first priority, that is created by at least one SD virtual appliance provided on at least one physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS, and that is destined for at least one SD virtual appliance, wherein the second priority is based on the second server-to-server data traffic flow being the second type of server-to-server data traffic flow.

8. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the SD network controller is configured to:

retrieve the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

9. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance.

10. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance and included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that identifies the SD network controller.

11. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with the SD network controller.

12. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

13. The IHS network of claim 7, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy includes a quality of service policy.

14. A method for managing data traffic policies, comprising:

receiving, by a software-defined (SD) network controller that is provided on a first physical server information handling system (IHS) from a source SD virtual appliance that is provided on a second physical server IHS;

a data traffic flow identifier that identifies a first server-to-server data traffic flow that is a first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that was created by the source SD virtual appliance, and that is destined for a destination SD virtual appliance that is provided on a third physical server IHS; and

policy information that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy for the first server-to-server data traffic flow, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy provides a first priority to the first server-to-server data traffic flow between the source SD virtual appliance and the destination SD virtual appliance that is based on the first server-to-server data traffic flow being the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow;

determining, by the SD network controller, a plurality of ports located between the source SD virtual appliance and a destination SD virtual appliance using the data traffic flow identifier; and

configuring, by the SD network controller, each of the plurality of ports with a first configuration using the at least one data traffic flow policy, wherein each of the plurality of ports is provided with the first configuration prior to the configuration of each of the plurality of ports with a second configuration for a second server-to-server data traffic flow that is a second type of server-to-server data traffic flow that is different than the first type of server-to-server data traffic flow, that is associated with at least one data traffic flow policy that provides a second priority that is different than the first priority, that is created by at least one SD virtual appliance provided on at least one physical server IHS that is coupled to the first physical server IHS, and that is destined for at least one SD virtual appliance, wherein the second priority is based on the second server-to-server data traffic flow being the second type of server-to-server data traffic flow.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the policy information includes at least one policy identifier that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance and that is associated with the at least one data traffic flow policy in a database that is accessible by the SD network controller, and wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving the at least one data traffic flow policy from the database using the at least one policy identifier.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the policy information includes the at least one data traffic flow policy that is provided by the source SD virtual appliance.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance and included in Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) information that identifies the SD network controller.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the data traffic flow identifier and the policy information are provided by the source SD virtual appliance in a data packet with an Internet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with the SD network controller.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of ports include at least one virtual port.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one data traffic flow policy includes a quality of service policy.