INTERCONNECTION PLATFORM FOR REAL-TIME CONFIGURATION AND MANAGEMENT OF A CLOUD-BASED SERVICES EXCHANGE

• US 20160127454A1
• Filed: 10/29/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Equinix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Equinix Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumar, Parveen, Jeyapaul, Jaganathan, Lillie, Brian J., Maheshwari, Gagan
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

In one example, a cloud-based services exchange comprises a plurality of interconnection assets configured to connect a customer of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more cloud service providers, the plurality of interconnection assets including a virtual circuit by which the customer accesses a cloud service from the one or more cloud service providers; and an orchestration engine configured to modify the plurality of interconnection assets.

Claims

1. A cloud-based services exchange comprising:

a network data center that includes respective ports by which a plurality of networks connect to the network data center, each of the networks having a different network address space and associated with a different one of a plurality of customers and cloud service providers;

a plurality of interconnection assets within the network data center and configured to connect, through a switching fabric of the network data center, each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more of the networks associated with the cloud service providers, the plurality of interconnection assets including a respective set of one or more virtual circuits for each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers and providing network connectivity within the network data center between the networks associated with the plurality of customers and cloud services executing within the networks associated with the plurality of cloud service providers; and

an interconnection platform configured for execution by one or more management devices within the network data center and presenting a software interface configured to, in response to receiving a request from an application, access the plurality of interconnection assets to satisfy the request.

2. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the software interface comprises a discovery application programming interface comprising at least one method configured to, in response to the request from the application, return a description of the plurality of interconnection assets.

3. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the software interface comprises a transact application programming interface comprising at least one method configured to, in response to the request from the application, provision one of the virtual circuits, validate one of the virtual circuits, and confirm deletion of one of the virtual circuits.

4. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the software interface comprises a use application programming interface comprising at least one method configured to, in response to the request from the application, return one of recommended setup information for cloud services, customized analytics regarding competitor presence, cloud service presence, cloud service availability, customer presence, customer availability, and usage statistics for cloud services.

5. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1,

wherein the request specifies a customer of the customers, and

wherein the software interface comprises a support application programming interface comprising at least one method configured to, in response to the request from the application, perform at least one of managing accounts, bill the customer, validate credit of the customer, configure a profile of an entity associated with the application, and configure a policy of an entity associated with the application.

6. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1,

wherein the software interface comprises a Representational State Transfer (RESTful) interface, and

wherein the request comprises application data that specifies an interface method and a resource identifier for an interconnection asset of the plurality of interconnection assets.

7. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the interconnection assets further include at least one of a port, a location, an order, a cloud service, a bandwidth of the virtual circuit, and the virtual circuit.

8. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the interconnection platform comprises:

an orchestration engine configured to execute at least one cloud exchange platform service for managing the interconnection assets;

an application programming interface gateway configured to;

execute the software interface to receive the request;

invoke the at least one cloud exchange platform service to access the plurality of interconnection assets to satisfy the request;

receive, from the cloud exchange platform service, a response; and

send, to the application, a representation of the response.

9. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the interconnection platform comprises:

a plurality of microservices configured to execute cloud exchange services; and

an orchestration engine configured to orchestrate the plurality of microservices to execute the cloud exchange services according to a workflow to satisfy the request.

10. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 9,

wherein the orchestration engine is configured to identify the workflow by applying a at least one of policies and cloud service profiles to a customer identifier included in the request,

wherein the workflow comprises a series of requests for the plurality of cloud exchange services.

11. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein to access the plurality of interconnection assets to satisfy the request, the interconnection platform is configured to provision one of the virtual circuits.

12. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the interconnection platform comprises:

a cloud service query service;

an orchestration engine;

an application programming interface gateway configured to, in response to receiving the request, invoke the orchestration engine to obtain a description of a cloud service,

wherein the orchestration engine generates and executes a workflow to invoke the cloud service query service,

wherein the cloud service query service returns the description of the cloud service to the orchestration engine,

wherein the orchestration engine returns the description of the cloud service to the application programming interface gateway, and

wherein, responsive to the request, the application programming interface gateway returns the description of the cloud service to the application.

13. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the interconnection platform further comprises:

a virtual circuit query service;

an orchestration engine;

an application programming interface gateway configured to, in response to receiving the request, invoke the orchestration engine to obtain a description of a virtual circuit,

wherein the orchestration engine generates and executes a workflow to invoke the virtual circuit query service,

wherein the virtual circuit query service returns the description of the virtual circuit to the orchestration engine,

wherein the orchestration engine returns the description of the virtual circuit to the application programming interface gateway, and

wherein, responsive to the request, the application programming interface gateway returns the description of the virtual circuit to the application.

14. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1,

wherein the request comprises a request to provision a virtual circuit to provide a customer with access to a cloud service provider network,

wherein the interconnection platform further comprises:

a network service provisioning service;

an orchestration engine;

an application programming interface gateway configured to, in response to receiving the request, invoke the orchestration engine to provision the virtual circuit,

wherein the orchestration engine generates and executes a workflow to invoke the network service provisioning service,

wherein the network service provisioning service establishes the virtual circuit according to parameters of the request.

15. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 14, wherein the interconnection platform further comprises:

a cloud service provider integration service,

wherein the orchestration engine generates and executes the workflow to invoke the cloud service provider integration service to request confirmation of the virtual circuit by a cloud service provider of the one or more cloud service providers for the cloud service provider network, and

wherein the orchestration engine generates and executes a workflow to invoke the network service provisioning service responsive to receiving confirmation of the virtual circuit by the cloud service provider.

16. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, wherein the customer comprises one of a network services provider and an enterprise.

17. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 1, further comprising

a layer three (L3) autonomous system located within a data center,

wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to receive, from each of a plurality of cloud service provider networks of the plurality of networks, cloud service traffic for at least one cloud service and for distribution to one or more customer networks of the plurality of networks;

a plurality of attachment circuits configured to connect, within the data center, the respective plurality of cloud service provider networks to the L3 autonomous system; and

one or more attachment circuits configured to connect, within the data center, the respective one or more customer networks to the L3 autonomous system,

wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to interconnect the plurality of cloud service provider networks and the one or more customer networks by establishing end-to-end L3 paths for the virtual circuits between the plurality of cloud service provider networks and the one or more customer networks, each end-to-end L3 path including one of the plurality of attachment circuits connecting the respective plurality of cloud service provider networks to the L3 autonomous system and also including one of the one or more attachment circuits connecting the respective one or more customer networks to the L3 autonomous system,

wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to forward cloud service traffic, received on the plurality of attachment circuits connecting the respective plurality of cloud service provider networks along the end-to-end L3 paths, to the one or more attachment circuits connecting the respective one or more customer networks to the L3 autonomous system.

18. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 17,

wherein the L3 routes do not specify L3 reachability to networks other than the plurality of cloud service provider networks and the one or more customer networks.

19. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 18,

wherein autonomous system border routers of the L3 autonomous system include BGP routing tables configured with the L3 routes,

wherein the L3 routes comprise BGP routes, and

wherein the BGP routing tables are not full BGP tables and do not offer connectivity to the Internet.

20. A cloud-based services exchange comprising:

a plurality of interconnection assets configured to connect a customer of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more cloud service providers, the plurality of interconnection assets including a virtual circuit by which the customer accesses a cloud service from the one or more cloud service providers; and

an orchestration engine configured to modify the plurality of interconnection assets.

21. The cloud-based services exchange of claim 20, further comprising:

a plurality of microservices configured to execute cloud exchange services,

wherein to modify the plurality of interconnection assets the orchestration engine is configured to orchestrate the plurality of cloud exchange services according to a workflow.

22. The cloud-based services exchange of 20, further comprising:

an interconnection platform having a software interface configured to, in response to receiving a request issued by an application, access the plurality of interconnection assets to satisfy the request;

an application programming interface gateway configured to invoke the orchestration engine based at least on the request,

wherein to modify the plurality of interconnection assets the orchestration engine is configured to, in response to the application programming interface gateway invoking the orchestration engine, modify the plurality of interconnection assets.

23. A method comprising:

executing, by a cloud-based services exchange using one or more management devices within a network data center, an interconnection platform to present a software interface reachable by networks associated with a plurality of customers; and

by the interconnection platform in response to receiving a request from an application, accessing a plurality of interconnection assets of the network data center to satisfy the request,

wherein the network data center includes respective ports by which a plurality of networks connect to the network data center, each of the networks having a different network address space and associated with a different one of a plurality of customers and cloud service providers, and

wherein a plurality of interconnection assets within the network data center connect, through a switching fabric of the network data center, each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers of the cloud-based services exchange to one or more of the networks associated with the cloud service providers, the plurality of interconnection assets including a respective set of one or more virtual circuits for each of the networks associated with the plurality of customers and providing network connectivity within the network data center between the networks associated with the plurality of customers and cloud services executing within the networks associated with the plurality of cloud service providers.