Method and apparatus for virtual network functions and packet forwarding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10986041-B2
Application number	US-201816057087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2018
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

Processing of data packets is controlled in a system using identifiers assigned locally in the system for each data packet, where each data packet is received at an entry point in the system. Each data packet can be processed along a directed graph data structure based on the identifiers, where the directed graph data structure provides a network pipeline to forward the data packets. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a memory storage comprising instructions; and
one or more processors in communication with the memory storage, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to:
control processing of a set of data packets using locally-assigned identifiers assigned locally in the system for each data packet received at an entry point in the system, the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet providing a representation of the each data packet internal to the system different from network identification of the each data packet, with the each data packet including a system identifier sent with the each data packet within the system, the locally-assigned identifiers including a device identifier for each virtual network function of one or more virtual network functions of the system and a datapath identifier corresponding to a network mapping to which the each data packet belongs; and
process the each data packet along a directed graph data structure based on the locally-assigned identifiers, the directed graph data structure providing a network pipeline to forward the each data packet.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet include a port identifier corresponding to a packet destination or a policy identifier associated with a service level agreement policy, the service level agreement policy defining a factor for selecting a path taken by the each data packet through the network pipeline.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to process the each data packet at the one or more virtual network functions of the system based on the locally-assigned identifiers, the each virtual network function being deployed as a set of nodes in the directed graph data structure.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the device identifier and the datapath identifier are managed in a control logic of the system and are used to direct the each data packet to the packet destination or through a service-chain defined by a chain of virtual network functions.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to create the one or more virtual network functions, to configure the one or more virtual network functions dynamically at runtime, and to connect the created one or more virtual network functions into a data pipeline.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more virtual network functions includes one or more sub-functions.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions to perform operations as a classifier to:
receive the set of data packets;
classify individual data packets of the set of data packets;
augment the individual data packets into an internal representation including a port identifier or a policy identifier; and
save the port identifier or the policy identifier within a metadata area of the individual data packets.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein results of processing operations along the network pipeline are saved in the metadata area of the individual data packets.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet include a multi-cast identifier.

10. A computer-implemented method for local processing of data packets, comprising:
controlling, with one or more processors, processing of a set of data packets using locally- assigned identifiers assigned locally in the system for each data packet received at an entry point in the system, the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet providing a representation of the each data packet internal to the system different from network identification of the each data packet, with the each data packet including a system identifier sent with the each data packet within the system, the locally-assigned identifiers including a device identifier for each virtual network function of one or more virtual network functions of the system and a datapath identifier corresponding to a network mapping to which the each data packet belongs; and
processing, with the one or more processors, the each data packet along a directed graph data structure based on the locally-assigned identifiers assigned locally, the directed graph data structure providing a network pipeline to forward the each data packet.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet include a port identifier corresponding to a packet destination or a policy identifier associated with a service level agreement policy, the service level agreement policy defining a factor for selecting a path taken by the each data packet through the network pipeline.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein processing each data packet includes processing the each data packet at the one or more virtual network functions of the system based on the locally-assigned identifiers, the each virtual network function being deployed as a set of nodes in the directed graph data structure.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the device identifier and the datapath identifier are managed in control logic of the system and are used to direct the each data packet to the packet destination or through a service-chain defined by a chain of virtual network functions.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes creating the one or more virtual network functions, configuring the one or more virtual network functions dynamically at runtime, and connecting the created one or more virtual network functions into a data pipeline.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 wherein the one or more virtual network functions include one or more sub-functions.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes performing operations as a classifier, the operations including:
receiving the set of data packets;
classifying individual data packets of the set of data packets;
augmenting the individual data packets into an internal representation including a port identifier and a policy identifier; and
saving the port identifier and the policy identifier in a metadata area of the individual data packets.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 , wherein the method includes saving, in the metadata area of each data packet, results of processing each data packet as it traverses through the directed graph data structure.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes assigning a multi-cast identifier as one of the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:
controlling processing of a set of data packets using locally-assigned identifiers assigned locally in the system for each data packet received at an entry point in the system, the locally-assigned identifiers for the each data packet providing a representation of the data packet internal to the system different from network identification of the data packet, with the each data packet including a system identifier sent with the each data packet within the system, the locally-assigned identifiers including a device identifier for each virtual network function of one or more virtual network functions of the system and a datapath identifier corresponding to a network mapping to

Assignees

• Futurewei Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Rangachari Muralidharan
• Dai Huida

Classifications

• H04L45/44 Primary

  Distributed routing · CPC title

• H04L45/306

  Route determination based on the nature of the carried application · CPC title

• H04L49/3063 Primary

  Pipelined operation · CPC title

• H04L45/586

  of virtual routers · CPC title

• H04L45/566

  Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks · CPC title