POLICY-DRIVEN AUTOMATIC REDUNDANT FABRIC PLACEMENT MECHANISM FOR VIRTUAL DATA CENTERS

• US 20150036480A1
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Ethan M., Huang, Senhua, Nakamoto, Bobby, Pathak, Rakesh M., Ray, Sid
• Granted Patent: US 9,450,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• 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 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]

Abstract

In one embodiment, a service provider management device provides a plurality of redundant fabric motifs, each indicating a subgraph pattern of logical connections for network segments of a virtual data center, and receives virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center. After determining available physical data center resources that correspond to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments, logical connections may then be established between particular network segments for the virtual data center according to the available physical data center resources corresponding to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of redundant fabric motifs, each indicating a subgraph pattern of logical connections for network segments of a virtual data center;

receiving virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center;

determining available physical data center resources that correspond to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments; and

establishing logical connections between particular network segments for the virtual data center according to the available physical data center resources corresponding to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

ensuring sufficient bandwidth resources on the logical connections for redundant protection services.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of redundant fabric motifs are selected from a group consisting of:

an X motif;

a Y motif;

a U motif;

a fork motif;

a pi motif; and

a lambda motif.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein data center segments are selected from a group consisting of:

aggregation switches;

access switches;

virtual switches;

data center edges;

data service nodes;

compute servers; and

service devices.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

considering one or more other service requirements of the tenant when establishing logical connections between particular network segments for the virtual data center.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

defining a plurality of service grades that indicate particular redundant fabric motif schemes between specific types of data center segments of the virtual data center, wherein receiving virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center comprises receiving tenant selection of a particular service grade.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein service grades are selected from a group consisting of:

a first grade where any single device failure on any network layer of the virtual data center does not lead to a service disruption; and

a second grade where any single link failure on any network layer of the virtual data center does not lead to a service disruption.

8. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

discovering the available physical data center resources via advertised capabilities and topological information received from the physical data center resources.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

applying a heuristic algorithm to select adequate physical data center resources without searching an entire solution space.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate within a computer network;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

provide a plurality of redundant fabric motifs, each indicating a subgraph pattern of logical connections for network segments of a virtual data center;

receive virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center;

determine available physical data center resources that correspond to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments; and

establish logical connections between particular network segments for the virtual data center according to the available physical data center resources corresponding to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

ensure sufficient bandwidth resources on the logical connections for redundant protection services.

12. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the plurality of redundant fabric motifs are selected from a group consisting of:

an X motif;

a Y motif;

a U motif;

a fork motif;

a pi motif; and

a lambda motif.

13. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein data center segments are selected from a group consisting of:

aggregation switches;

access switches;

virtual switches;

data center edges;

data service nodes;

compute servers; and

service devices.

14. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

consider one or more other service requirements of the tenant when establishing logical connections between particular network segments for the virtual data center.

15. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

define a plurality of service grades that indicate particular redundant fabric motif schemes between specific types of data center segments of the virtual data center, wherein receiving virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center comprises receiving tenant selection of a particular service grade.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, wherein service grades are selected from a group consisting of:

a first grade where any single device failure on any network layer of the virtual data center does not lead to a service disruption; and

a second grade where any single link failure on any network layer of the virtual data center does not lead to a service disruption.

17. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

discover the available physical data center resources via advertised capabilities and topological information received from the physical data center resources.

18. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

apply a heuristic algorithm to select adequate physical data center resources without searching an entire solution space.

19. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible media for execution and when executed by a machine operable to:

provide a plurality of redundant fabric motifs, each indicating a subgraph pattern of logical connections for network segments of a virtual data center;

receive virtual data center tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments of the virtual data center;

determine available physical data center resources that correspond to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments; and

establish logical connections between particular network segments for the virtual data center according to the available physical data center resources corresponding to the tenant selection of one or more of the redundant fabric motifs for particular pairs of data center segments.

20. The logic as in claim 19, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to:

ensure sufficient bandwidth resources on the logical connections for redundant protection services.