GLOBAL VLAN SERVICES

• US 20160036774A1
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chong, Chi Lung, Venkata, Ganesh D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,544,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/465 wherein a single frame includes a plurality of VLAN tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch in a network of interconnected switches. The switch includes a forwarding domain apparatus and a forwarding apparatus. The forwarding domain apparatus maintains a mapping between a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and a first global VLAN identifier in a local storage device. The global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN. The mapping is independent of a type of the VLAN identifier. During operation, the forwarding apparatus encapsulates a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header. The encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network based on the network encapsulation header. The forwarding apparatus includes the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header of the first packet.

Claims

1. A switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the switch comprises:

a forwarding domain apparatus configured to maintain a mapping between a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and a first global VLAN identifier in a local storage device, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the mapping is independent of a type of the VLAN identifier; and

a forwarding apparatus configured to;

encapsulate a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network based on the network encapsulation header; and

include the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header of the first packet.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the mapping maps the first VLAN identifier to an internal identifier, and maps the internal identifier to the first global VLAN identifier;

and

wherein the internal identifier is internal and local to the switch, and is distinct from a VLAN identifier.

3. The switch of claim 2, wherein the internal identifier and the first global VLAN identifier are specified in a port profile comprising a media access control (MAC) address;

and

wherein the forwarding domain apparatus is further configured to, in response to identifying the MAC address as a source address in a packet, apply the port profile to a local ingress port of the packet.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the global VLAN is represented by a first set of bits in a first header field and a second sets of bits in a second header field in the network encapsulation header in a continuous representation.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding domain apparatus is further configured to maintain a mapping between a second VLAN identifier and the first global VLAN identifier, wherein the first and second VLAN identifiers are associated with a same service level for a tenant.

6. The switch of claim 5, wherein the forwarding apparatus is further configured to include the first global VLAN identifier in a network encapsulation header of a packet in response to identifying the first or second VLAN identifier in the packet.

7. The switch of claim 1, wherein a local port operates as a network extension interface for a second packet, wherein the network extension interface couples a second network of interconnected switches, and wherein the second packet includes a tag representing the first global VLAN identifier.

8. The switch of claim 7, further comprising a tunnel management apparatus adapted to encapsulate the second packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the network extension interface is a tunnel interface, and wherein the tunnel encapsulation header is distinct from the network encapsulation header.

9. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a spanning tree apparatus configured to:

identify a spanning tree instance associated with the first VLAN identifier; and

associate the spanning tree instance with the first global VLAN identifier.

10. The switch of claim 9, wherein the spanning tree apparatus is further configured to associate the spanning tree instance with a local port in response to identifying the local port as being configured with the first global VLAN identifier.

11. A computer-executable method, comprising:

maintaining a mapping between a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and a first global VLAN identifier in a storage device of a switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the mapping is independent of a type of the VLAN identifier;

encapsulating a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network based on the network encapsulation header; and

including the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header of the first packet.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mapping maps the first VLAN identifier to an internal identifier, and maps the internal identifier to the first global VLAN identifier;

and

wherein the internal identifier is internal and local to the switch, and is distinct from a VLAN identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the internal identifier and the first global VLAN identifier are specified in a port profile comprising a media access control (MAC) address;

and

wherein the method further comprises, in response to identifying the MAC address as a source address in a packet, applying the port profile to a local ingress port of the packet.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the global VLAN is represented by a first set of bits in a first header field and a second sets of bits in a second header filed in the network encapsulation header in a continuous representation.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining a mapping between a second VLAN identifier and the first global VLAN identifier, wherein the first and second VLAN identifiers are associated with a same service level for a tenant.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising including the first global VLAN identifier in a network encapsulation header of a packet in response to identifying the first or second VLAN identifier in the packet.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a local port operates as a network extension interface for a second packet, wherein the network extension interface couples a second network of interconnected switches, and wherein the second packet includes a tag representing the first global VLAN identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising encapsulating the second packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the network extension interface is a tunnel interface, and wherein the tunnel encapsulation header is distinct from the network encapsulation header.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a spanning tree instance associated with the first VLAN identifier; and

associating the spanning tree instance with the first global VLAN identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising associating the spanning tree instance with a local port in response to identifying the local port as being configured with the first global VLAN identifier.

21. A computing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to perform a method, the method comprising;

maintaining a mapping between a first virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier and a first global VLAN identifier in a storage device of a switch in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the global VLAN identifier represents a layer-2 forwarding domain in the network and is distinct from a customer VLAN or a service-provider VLAN, and wherein the mapping is independent of a type of the VLAN identifier;

encapsulating a first packet belonging to the first VLAN in a network encapsulation header, wherein the encapsulated packet is forwardable in the network based on the encapsulation header; and

including the first global VLAN identifier in the network encapsulation header of the first packet.