Distribution of Internal Routes For Virtual Networking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016359720-A1
Application number	US-201514728821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2015
Priority date	Jun 2, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method implemented in a network element (NE) configured to implement a cloud rendezvous point (CRP), the method comprising maintaining, at the CRP, a cloud switch point (CSP) database indicating a plurality of CSPs and indicating each virtual network attached to each CSP; receiving a register message indicating a first CSP network address and a first virtual network attached to the first CSP; and sending first report messages indicating the first CSP network address to each CSP in the CSP database attached to the first virtual network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method implemented in a network element (NE) configured to implement a cloud rendezvous point (CRP), the method comprising:
maintaining, at the CRP, a cloud switch point (CSP) database indicating a plurality of CSPs and indicating each virtual network attached to each CSP; receiving a register message indicating a first CSP network address and a first virtual network attached to a first CSP; and sending first report messages indicating the first CSP network address to each CSP in the CSP database attached to the first virtual network.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the register message comprises a virtual network number for the first virtual network and a virtual network name for the first virtual network such that the first virtual network number and the first virtual network name uniquely identifies the first virtual network, and wherein the method further comprising storing the first CSP network address, the first virtual network number, and the first virtual network name in the CSP database such that the CSP database indicates the first CSP associated with the first CSP address is attached to the first virtual network in identified by the first virtual network number and the first virtual network name.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first report messages further indicate network addresses for each CSP in the CSP database attached to the first virtual network, and where at least one of the first report messages is sent to the first CSP.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the register message further comprises a second virtual network attached to the first CSP, and wherein the method further comprises sending second report messages indicating the first CSP network address to each CSP in the CSP database attached to the second virtual network.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second report messages further indicate network addresses for each CSP in the CSP database attached to the second virtual network, and where at least one of the second report messages is sent to the first CSP.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first report messages are sent only to CSPs attached to the first virtual network, and wherein the second report messages are sent only to CSPs attached to the second network such that each CSP is only sent CSP network addresses of CSPs attached to common virtual networks.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the register message and the first report messages are communicated via Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections between the CRP and the CSPs over an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising sending an acknowledgment message to the first CSP in response to the register message to indicate registration status of the first CSP.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein registration status of the first CSP is indicated in a route state code in the first report messages.

10 . A method implemented in a network element (NE) configured to implement a local cloud switch point (CSP), the method comprising:
sending, to a cloud rendezvous point (CRP), a register message indicating a network address of the local CSP and an indication of each virtual network attached to the local CSP; receiving from the CRP a report message indicating a remote network address of each remote CSP attached one or more common virtual networks with the local CSP; and transmitting one or more route messages to the remote CSPs at the remote network addresses to indicate local virtual routing information of portions of the common virtual networks attached to the local CSP.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the network address of the local CSP is an internet protocol (IP) address, and wherein the indication of each virtual network attached to the local CSP comprises a virtual network name and a virtual network number for each virtual network attached to the local CSP.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving one or more route messages from the remote CSPs, the received route messages indicating remote routing information of portions of the common virtual networks attached to the remote CSPs.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the remote routing information received from the remote CSPs comprises virtual internet protocol (IP) addresses and virtual media access control (MAC) addresses of virtual machines implemented in remote data centers attached to the remote CSPs.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the local virtual routing information transmitted to the remote CSPs comprises virtual internet protocol (IP) addresses and virtual media access control (MAC) addresses of virtual machines implemented in a local data center attached to the local CSP.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the route messages are transmitted to a corresponding remote CSP as a post message in a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) session.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising periodically transmitting keep-alive messages or post messages comprising the local virtual routing information to maintain the TCP session.

17 . A network element (NE) configured to implement a local cloud switch point (CSP), the NE comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit, to a cloud rendezvous point (CRP), a register message indicating a network address of the local CSP and an indication of a virtual network attached to the local CSP; a receiver configured to receive from the CRP a report message indicating a remote network address of each remote CSP attached to the virtual network; and a processor coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the processor configured to cause the transmitter to transmit route messages to the remote CSPs at the remote network addresses to indicate local virtual routing information of local portions of the virtual network attached to the local CSP.

18 . The NE of claim 17 , further comprising a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the route messages from the remote CSPs, the received route messages indicating remote routing information of remote portions of the virtual network attached to the remote CSPs, and wherein the processor is further configured to store the received remote routing information to support routing of network traffic from the local portions of the virtual network to the remote portions of the virtual network via the remote CSPs.

19 . The NE of claim 18 , wherein the virtual network is virtual extensible network (VxN), and wherein the indication of the virtual network transmitted to the CRP comprises:
a VxN number that identifies the VxN in a CloudCasting Control (CCC) protocol domain; and a VxN name that globally uniquely identifies the virtual network.

20 . The NE of claim 18 , wherein the register and report messages are communicated with the CRP via a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) session between the local CSP and the CRP, and wherein each of the route messages is transmitted to the remote CSPs via a TCP session between the local CSP and a corresponding remote CSP.

Assignees

• Futurewei Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Li Renwei
• Zhao Katherine
• Han Lin

Classifications

• H04L45/02 Primary

  Topology update or discovery · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title