PROGRAMMABLE INFRASTRUCTURE GATEWAY FOR ENABLING HYBRID CLOUD SERVICES IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

• US 20170366373A1
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bagepalli, Nagaraj A., Chang, David Wei-Shen, Patra, Abhijit, Anantha, Murali, Thumbargudi, Prashanth
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/102 Gateways arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66

Abstract

An example method for a programmable infrastructure gateway for enabling hybrid cloud services in a network environment is provided and includes receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud, interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface, and executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter. The method is generally executed in the infrastructure gateway including a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit, the cloud adapter being generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud. In specific embodiments, identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms; each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a gateway to facilitate communications between public and private clouds in a hybrid cloud, the gateway being programmed to generate various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit (SDK), the method comprising, at the gateway:

generating, using the cloud adapter SDK with proprietary cloud orchestration code of a platform of the public cloud, a specific cloud adapter compatible with a specific corresponding public cloud platform of the public cloud;

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface (API); and

executing the interpreted instruction in the public cloud using the specific cloud adapter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction using the specific cloud adapter;

wherein the cloud management API comprises at least one functions selected from a group including;

(a) provisioning computing resources in the public cloud for various users, (b) monitoring resource usage, (c) metering resource usage, (d) configuring appliances in the public cloud, and (e) analyzing resource usage in the public cloud.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

implementing a set of abstract classes in the specific cloud adapter for processing a hybrid cloud instruction;

implementing specific functions using the abstract classes for compatibility with the public cloud platform; and

configuring management parameters and cloud orchestration code of the specific cloud adaptor for the public cloud platform.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by the various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to the respective codes of the various cloud adaptors.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the cloud adapters that inherits the abstract classes implements actual functions of corresponding sub-classes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the infrastructure gateway comprises a plurality of cloud adapters including the specific cloud adaptor;

each of the plurality of cloud adapters conforms to a different public cloud platform managed by a different cloud service provider;

at least one of the cloud adapters comprises an embedded pre-installed cloud adapter; and

at least another of the cloud adapters comprises a programmable cloud adapter tailored for the public cloud platform.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing substantially identical copies of the gateway to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms, wherein each copy of the gateway is programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

8. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for controlling a gateway to facilitate communications between public and private clouds in a hybrid cloud, the gateway being programmed to generate various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit (SDK), such instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating, using the cloud adapter SDK with proprietary cloud orchestration code of a platform of the public cloud, a specific cloud adapter compatible with a specific corresponding public cloud platform of the public cloud;

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface (API); and

executing the interpreted instruction in the public cloud using the specific cloud adapter.

9. The medium storing instructions of claim 8, including instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction using the specific cloud adapter;

wherein the cloud management API comprises at least one functions selected from a group including;

(a) provisioning computing resources in the public cloud for various users, (b) monitoring resource usage, (c) metering resource usage, (d) configuring appliances in the public cloud, and (e) analyzing resource usage in the public cloud.

10. The medium storing instructions of claim 8, wherein the instructions for generating comprises instructions for:

implementing a set of abstract classes in the specific cloud adapter for processing a hybrid cloud instruction;

implementing specific functions using the abstract classes for compatibility with the public cloud platform; and

configuring management parameters and cloud orchestration code of the specific cloud adaptor for the public cloud platform.

11. The medium storing instructions of claim 8, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by the various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to the respective codes of the various cloud adaptors.

12. The medium storing instructions of claim 11, wherein each of the cloud adapters that inherits the abstract classes implements actual functions of corresponding sub-classes.

13. The medium storing instructions of claim 8, wherein:

the gateway comprises a plurality of cloud adapters including the specific cloud adaptor;

each of the plurality of cloud adapters conforms to a different public cloud platform managed by a different cloud service provider;

at least one of the cloud adapters comprises an embedded pre-installed cloud adapter; and

at least another of the cloud adapters comprises a programmable cloud adapter tailored for the public cloud platform.

14. The medium storing instructions of claim 8, including instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform operations further comprising providing substantially identical copies of the gateway to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms, wherein each copy of the gateway is programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.

15. A system including a gateway to facilitate communications between public and private clouds in a hybrid cloud, the gateway being programmed to generate various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit (SDK), the gateway comprising:

at least one memory configured to store data; and

at least one processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the processor to perform operations including;

generating, using the cloud adapter SDK with proprietary cloud orchestration code of a platform of the public cloud, a specific cloud adapter compatible with a specific corresponding public cloud platform of the public cloud;

receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud;

interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface (API); and

executing the interpreted instruction in the public cloud using the specific cloud adapter.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations including:

receiving a management instruction from a public cloud management portal associated with the public cloud;

interpreting the management instruction according to a cloud management API; and

executing the interpreted management instruction using the specific cloud adapter;

wherein the cloud management API comprises at least one functions selected from a group including;

(a) provisioning computing resources in the public cloud for various users, (b) monitoring resource usage, (c) metering resource usage, (d) configuring appliances in the public cloud, and (e) analyzing resource usage in the public cloud.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the generating comprises:

implementing a set of abstract classes in the specific cloud adapter for processing a hybrid cloud instruction;

implementing specific functions using the abstract classes for compatibility with the public cloud platform; and

configuring management parameters and cloud orchestration code of the specific cloud adaptor for the public cloud platform.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the SDK comprises a set of abstract classes inheritable by the various cloud adapters as sub-classes suited to the respective codes of the various cloud adaptors.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the cloud adapters that inherits the abstract classes implements actual functions of corresponding sub-classes.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the gateway comprises a plurality of cloud adapters including the specific cloud adaptor;

each of the plurality of cloud adapters conforms to a different public cloud platform managed by a different cloud service provider;

at least one of the cloud adapters comprises an embedded pre-installed cloud adapter; and

at least another of the cloud adapters comprises a programmable cloud adapter tailored for the public cloud platform.