Cloud-based services exchange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016308762-A1
Application number	US-201615099407-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In general, a cloud-based services exchange (or “cloud exchange”) for interconnecting multiple cloud service providers with multiple cloud service customers is described. The cloud exchange may enable cloud customers to bypass the public Internet to directly connect to cloud services providers so as to improve performance, reduce costs, increase the security and privacy of the connections, and leverage cloud computing for additional applications. In this way, enterprises, network carriers, and SaaS customers, for instance, can integrate cloud services with their internal applications as if such services are part of or otherwise directly coupled to their own data center network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cloud-based services exchange point 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, cloud service traffic for at least one cloud service and for distribution to one or more customer 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 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.

2 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 1 , wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured with an autonomous system number that identifies the L3 autonomous system within an autonomous system path to a routing protocol.

3 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 1 ,
wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to aggregate, to form aggregated cloud service traffic, first cloud service traffic originating from a first cloud service provider network of the plurality of cloud service provider networks and second cloud service traffic originating from a second cloud service provider network of the plurality of cloud service provider networks, and wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to deliver the aggregated cloud service traffic to a customer network of the one or more customer networks.

4 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 1 ,
wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to aggregate, to form aggregated cloud service traffic, first cloud service traffic originating from a first customer network of the one or more customer networks and second cloud service traffic originating from a second customer network of the one or more customer networks, and wherein the L3 autonomous system is configured to deliver the aggregated cloud service traffic to a cloud service provider network of the plurality of cloud service provider networks.

5 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more customer networks comprises one of a network service provider network and an enterprise network.

6 . The cloud-based services change point of claim 1 ,
wherein the L3 autonomous system comprises an Internet Protocol network interconnecting a plurality of provider edge (PE) routers by a plurality of tunnels, and wherein each of the end-to-end L3 paths comprises one of the plurality of tunnels.

7 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 6 ,
wherein the IP network comprises an IP/Multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) fabric, and wherein the plurality of PE routers are configured to obtain configuration data defining one or more virtual private network routing and forwarding instances (VRFs) for a cloud service of the at least one cloud service and provided by a cloud service provider network of the plurality of cloud service providers network.

8 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 6 ,
wherein the IP network comprises an IP/Multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) fabric, wherein, to establish the end-to-end L3 paths, a first PE router of the plurality of PE routers is configured to export a L3 route specifying a route to a cloud service of the at least one cloud service, the first PE router coupled to an attachment circuit of the plurality of attachment circuits that is also coupled to the cloud service provider network, wherein, to establish the end-to-end L3 paths, a second PE router of the plurality of PE routers is configured to import the L3 route specifying the route to the cloud service, the second PE router coupled to an attachment circuit of the one or more attachment circuits that is also coupled to a customer network of the one or more customer networks, and wherein the first PE router is configured to forward cloud service traffic for the cloud service to the second PE router according to the L3 route.

9 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 8 , wherein the first PE router is a hub router and the second PE router is a spoke router for a hub-and-spoke virtual private network for the cloud service.

10 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 6 ,
wherein the IP network comprises an IP/Multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) fabric, wherein, to establish the end-to-end L3 paths, a first PE router of the plurality of PE routers is configured to export a L3 route specifying a route to a customer network of the plurality of customer networks, the first PE router coupled to an attachment circuit of the one or more attachment circuits that is also coupled to the customer network, wherein, to establish the end-to-end L3 paths, a second PE router of the plurality of PE routers is configured to import the L3 route specifying the route to the customer network, the second PE router coupled to an attachment circuit of the plurality of attachment circuits that is also coupled to the cloud service provider, and wherein the first PE router is configured to forward cloud service traffic for the cloud service to the second PE router according to the L3 route.

11 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 10 , wherein the first PE router is a spoke router and the second PE router is a hub router for a hub-and-spoke virtual private network for the cloud service.

12 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more customer networks receive L3 routes for the plurality of cloud service provider networks only from one of an operator of the cloud-based services exchange point and the L3 autonomous system.

13 . The cloud-based services exchange point of claim 12 ,
wherein the L3 autonomous system comprises a network address translation (NAT) service device configured to apply a NAT service to the cloud service traffic, wherein the cloud service traffic comprises destination L3 addresses that are L3 addresses advertised by the cloud exchange point to the plurality of cloud service provider networks, wherein to apply the NAT service to the cloud service traffic the NAT service device is configured to modify the destination L3 addresses of the cloud service traffic to generate modified cloud service traffic that comprises destination L3 addresses that are L3 addresses advertised by the one or more customer networks to the L3 autonomous system, and wherein to forward the cloud service traffic to the one or more attachment circuits connecting the respective one or more customer networks to the L3 autonomous system, the L3 autonomous system is configured

Assignees

• Equinix Inc

Inventors

• Teng Juxiang
• Tarazi Ihab

Classifications

• H04L41/5064

  Customer relationship management · CPC title

• H04L45/50 Primary

  using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS] · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L41/5096

  wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications · CPC title

• H04L12/4633 Primary

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title