In-service software upgrade of software-defined networking controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10083026-B1
Application number	US-201615087286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed describing an In-Service Software Upgrade for a Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller of a cloud data center. A cloud data center includes a first SDN controller configured to perform session management of a plurality of session instances, an orchestration engine communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a northbound application program interface (API); and a plurality of compute nodes configured to perform compute functions for the plurality of session instances. In response to receiving a request to perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) of the first SDN controller, the orchestration engine spawns a second, upgraded SDN controller on the cloud data center. An ISSU process initializes the second SDN controller and transfers session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller. Finally, the ISSU process removes the first SDN controller from the cloud data center.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
on at least one processor of a cloud data center executing a first Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller configured to perform session management of a plurality of session instances, wherein the cloud data center further comprises:
an orchestration engine communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a first northbound application program interface (API); and
a plurality of compute nodes configured to perform compute functions for the plurality of session instances, wherein each of the plurality of compute nodes comprise:
a virtual router, wherein each virtual router is communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a southbound API; and
at least one virtual machine configured to execute at least one session instance of the plurality of session instances:

in response to receiving a request to perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) of the first SDN controller:
initializing a second SDN controller on the cloud data center;
establishing a peering session between the first SDN controller and the second SDN controller;
concurrently receiving, by each of the first SDN controller and the second SDN controller, networking and routing information for the plurality of session instances; and
using, by the second SDN controller, the networking and routing information for the plurality of session instances to build a state database for the second SDN controller while the first SDN controller uses the networking and routing information for the plurality of session instances to perform session management of the plurality of session instances; and

after initializing the second SDN controller and building the state database for the second SDN controller, transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller comprises:
for each session instance of the plurality of session instances, performing session management by the first SDN controller and switching to performing session management by the second SDN controller without interrupting execution of the session instance.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein performing session management by the first SDN controller and switching to performing session management by the second SDN controller without interrupting execution of the session instance comprises, for each compute node of the plurality of compute nodes:
performing, by the at least one processor, a software upgrade on the compute node; and
after performing the software upgrade on the compute node, reconfiguring, by the at least one processor, the southbound API of the virtual router to communicate with the second SDN controller instead of the first SDN controller.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller, deactivating the first SDN controller without interrupting session management of the plurality of session instances.

5. A method comprising:
on at least one processor of a cloud data center executing a first Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller configured to perform session management of a plurality of session instances, wherein the cloud data center further comprises:
an orchestration engine communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a first northbound application program interface (API); and
a plurality of compute nodes configured to perform compute functions for the plurality of session instances, wherein each of the plurality of compute nodes comprise:
a virtual router, wherein each virtual router is communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a southbound API; and
at least one virtual machine configured to execute at least one session instance of the plurality of session instances:

in response to receiving a request to perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) of the first SDN controller, initializing a second SDN controller on the cloud data center; after initializing the second SDN controller, transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller, wherein initializing the second SDN controller on the cloud data center comprises:
disabling the first northbound API between the first SDN controller and the orchestration engine;
while the first northbound API is disabled, synchronizing a first state database of the first SDN controller with a second state database of the second SDN controller;
after the first state database and second state database are synchronized, peering a plurality of configuration nodes of the first SDN controller with a plurality of configuration nodes of the second SDN controller; and
after peering the plurality of configuration nodes of the first SDN controller with the plurality of configuration nodes of the second SDN controller, reenabling the first northbound API between the first SDN controller and the orchestration engine to allow run-time synchronization of the plurality of configuration nodes of the first SDN controller with the plurality of configuration nodes of the second SDN controller.

6. A method comprising:
on at least one processor of a cloud data center executing a first Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller configured to perform session management of a plurality of session instances, wherein the cloud data center further comprises:
an orchestration engine communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a first northbound application program interface (API); and
a plurality of compute nodes configured to perform compute functions for the plurality of session instances, wherein each of the plurality of compute nodes comprise:
a virtual router, wherein each virtual router is communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a southbound API; and
at least one virtual machine configured to execute at least one session instance of the plurality of session instances:

in response to receiving a request to perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) of the first SDN controller, initializing a second SDN controller on the cloud data center; after initializing the second SDN controller, transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller; and
after transferring session management for the plurality of session instances from the first SDN controller to the second SDN controller:
disabling the first northbound API between the first SDN controller and the orchestration engine;
while the first northbound API is disabled, synchronizing a first state database of the first SDN controller with a second state database of the second SDN controller; and
after the first state database and second state database are synchronized, activating a second northbound API between the second SDN controller and the orchestration engine.

7. A second Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller executing on at least one processor of a cloud data center, configured to:
receive a request, from an orchestration engine, to perform an in-service software upgrade (ISSU) of a first SDN controller executing on the at least one processor, wherein the orchestration engine is communicatively coupled to the first SDN controller via a first northbound application program interface (API), the first SDN controller is configured to perform session management of a plurality of session instances, and the cloud data center further comprises:
a plurality of compute nodes configured to perform compu

Assignees

• Juniper Networks Inc

Inventors

• Venkata Suresh Kumar Vinapamula
• Ranjan Ashish
• Ajay Hampapur
• Bansal Sachin

Classifications

• H04L67/1097

  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 title

• H04L67/148

  Migration or transfer of sessions · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• H04L45/586

  of virtual routers · CPC title

• G06F8/656 Primary

  while running · CPC title