PACKET PROCESSING IN FEDERATED NETWORK

• US 20130044763A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nicira Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pankaj Thakkar
• Inventors: Koponen, Teemu, Casado, Martin, Thakkar, Pankaj, Zhang, Ronghua, Wendlandt, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,964,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a novel method for forwarding a packet at a managed switching element in a first domain. The method receives a packet from a local machine. The method encapsulates the packet with a first context identifier that identifies a first logical port of a first logical switching element that couples to machines in both the first domain and a second domain. The first logical port maps to a destination address of the packet. Based on a mapping of the first logical port to a second logical port of a second logical switching element that couples to machines in only the first domain, the method encapsulates the packet with a second context identifier that identifies the second logical port. The method transmits the twice-encapsulated packet out of a port of the managed switching element based on the second context identifier.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding a packet at a managed switching element in a first domain, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from a local machine;

encapsulating the packet with a first context identifier that identifies a first logical port of a first logical switching element that couples to machines in both the first domain and a second domain, wherein the first logical port maps to a destination address of the packet;

based on a mapping of the first logical port to a second logical port of a second logical switching element that couples to machines in only the first domain, encapsulating the packet with a second context identifier that identifies the second logical port; and

transmitting the twice-encapsulated packet out of a port of the managed switching element based on the second context identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the logical ports are logical egress ports.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical port maps to a physical port of a managed switching element in the second domain that connects to a machine with the destination address of the packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second logical port maps to a physical port of a managed interconnection switching element in the first domain that connects to the second domain.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the managed interconnection switching element connects to a second managed interconnection switching element in the second domain.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the local machine is a virtual machine and the method is performed by a software switching element operating on a same host as the virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to encapsulating the packet with the first context identifier:

mapping a port of the managed switching element at which the packet is received to a first logical ingress port of the second logical switch; and

mapping the first logical ingress port to a second logical ingress port of the first logical switching element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the managed switching element stores the first and second logical ingress ports in a register while forwarding the packet.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising, prior to encapsulating the packet with the first context identifier, using the second logical ingress port to apply access control list (ACL) rules to the packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ACL rules specify to allow the packet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the twice-encapsulated packet out of a port of the managed switching element comprises:

identifying a physical location in the first domain that corresponds to the second logical port; and

identifying the port of the managed switching element for which a tunnel to the physical location in the first domain has been created.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising encapsulating the packet with tunneling information for the tunnel between the managed switching element and the identified physical location in the first domain.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the identified physical location in the first domain is a particular port of an interconnection switching element for connecting the first domain to the second domain.

14. A method for forwarding a network data packet, the method comprising:

at an interconnection switching element of a first domain that connects the first domain to a second domain, receiving a packet from an edge switching element of the first domain;

removing a first encapsulation that identifies a first logical egress port of a logical switching element that couples to network hosts in the first domain, wherein the identified logical egress port couples to the second domain, the packet having a second encapsulation for identifying a second logical egress port of a logical switching element that couples to network hosts in both the first and second domains;

based on the identified logical egress port, using interconnection instructions to encapsulate the packet with a logical ingress port of a third logical switching element that couples to network hosts in the first domain, wherein the identified logical ingress port couples to the first domain; and

transmitting the twice-encapsulated packet to an interconnection switching element of the second domain.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second encapsulations were applied by the edge switching element of the first domain.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a tunnel exists between the interconnection switching element of the first domain and the interconnection switching element of the second domain, wherein transmitting the twice-encapsulated packet to the interconnection switching element of the second domain comprises encapsulating the packet with tunneling information for the tunnel.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the interconnection switching elements of the first and second domains are extenders.

18. A method for forwarding a network data packet, the method comprising:

at an interconnection switching element of a first domain that connects the first domain to a second domain, receiving a packet from an interconnection switching element of the second domain;

removing a first encapsulation that identifies a logical ingress port of a first logical switching element that couples to machines in the second domain, wherein the identified logical egress port connects to the second domain;

removing a second encapsulation that identifies a first logical egress port of a second logical switching element that couples to machines in both the first and second domains;

based on a mapping of the first logical egress port to a second logical egress port of the first logical switch, encapsulating the packet with a context identifier that identifies the second logical egress port; and

transmitting the encapsulated packet to an switching element of the first domain.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the edge switching element couples directly to a destination machine of the packet.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the edge switching element is a software switching element that operates on a same physical host as the destination machine.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the destination machine is a virtual machine.