Method and system of application-aware routing with crowdsourcing

• US 10,498,652 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mayya, Ajit Ramachandra, Thakore, Parag Pritam, Connors, Stephen Craig, Mukundan, Sunil, Speeter, Thomas Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin, Yemane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baron, Henry
• Application Number:
  US15/407,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

In one aspect, a computerized method of an application routing service includes the step of using a deep-packet inspection (DPI) technique on a first network flow to identify an application. The method includes the step of storing an Internet-protocol (IP) address and a port number used by the application and an identity of the application in a database. The method includes the step of detecting a second network flow. The method includes the step of identifying the IP address and the port number of the application in the second network flow. The method includes the step of looking up the IP address and the port number in the database. The method includes the step of identifying the application based on the IP address and the port number.

Claims

1. A method for application routing comprising:

at a first edge device of a network;

receiving a first flow associated with an application and identifying in a flow identifier of the first flow an Internet Protocol (IP) address and port number of the application;

using deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application identifier that identifies the application associated with the first flow;

storing a record that maps the application identifier with the identified IP address and port number; and

sending the record to a second edge device to use to associate a second flow received by the second edge device with the application identifier by matching an IP address and port number in a flow identifier of the second flow with the identified IP address and port number in the record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second edge devices provide network routing decisions for the first and second flows based on the application identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the record to the second edge device comprises sending the record to a manager that provides the record to the second edge device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address comprises a Destination IP Address (DIP) and the port number comprises a Destination Port Number (DPORT).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first edge device stores the record in a first local application routing cache at the first edge device, the second edge device stores the record in a second local application routing cache at the second edge device, and the second edge device queries the second local application routing cache based on the IP address and the port number.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the network is a first network of a first enterprise and the second edge device belongs to a second network of a second, different enterprise.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the manager provides the record to the second edge device in response to receiving a request for application routing data from the second edge device.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the manager implements a distributed management plane spanning a set of public cloud datacenters.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second flows are for forwarding to the application through a set of cloud gateways that (i) is managed by the manager, (ii) executes in a set of public cloud datacenters, and (iii) connects to the first and second edge devices.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the routing decisions use a same quality of service for the first and second flows.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the manager stores the record in an application routing database.

12. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution on a first edge device of a network, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a first flow associated with an application and identifying in a flow identifier of the first flow a Layer 3 address and Layer 4 address for the application;

using deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify an application identifier that identifies the application associated with the first flow;

storing a record that maps the application identifier with the identified Layer 3 and Layer 4 addresses; and

sending the record to a second edge device to use to associate a second flow received by the second edge device with the application identifier by matching a Layer 3 address and a Layer 4 address in a flow identifier of the second flow with the identified Layer 3 address and Layer 4 address in the record.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first and second edge devices provide network routing decisions for the first and second flows based on the application identifier.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the routing decisions use a same quality of service for the first and second flows.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the set of instructions for sending the record to the second edge device comprises a set of instructions for sending the record to a manager that provides the record to the second edge device.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the manager stores the record in an application routing database.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first and second flows are for forwarding to the application through a set of cloud gateways that (i) is managed by the manager, (ii) executes in a set of public cloud datacenters, and (iii) connects to the first and second edge devices.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the network is a first network that belongs to a first enterprise, and the second edge device belongs to a second network of a second, different enterprise.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the Layer 3 address comprises a Destination IP Address (DIP) and the Layer 4 address comprises a Destination Port Number (DPORT).