Transforming a service packet from a first domain to a second domain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019116063-A1
Application number	US-201616097241-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 18, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an example, a hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) includes a first communication interface corresponding to a first domain using a first chaining protocol, and a second communication interface corresponding to a second domain using a second and different chaining protocol. The hCG receives a service packet including a first service function chain header via the first communication interface. The hCG also identifies a key identifier in the service packet, and retrieves a second service function chain header based on the key identifier. Then, the hCG transforms the service packet by substituting the first service function chain header corresponding to first domain in the service packet with the second service function chain header corresponding to the second domain. Next, the hCG transmits the service packet including the second service function chain header via the second communication interface corresponding to the second domain.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A network device comprising:
a memory; at least one processor to:
receive a service packet including a first service function chain header in a first domain;
remove the first service function chain header corresponding to the first domain from the service packet;
store the first service function chain header in the memory, wherein the first service function chain header is associated with an identifier;
reclassify the service packet based on a second domain;
generate a second service function chain header corresponding to the second domain using the reclassified packet; and
transform the service packet in the first domain to a new service packet in the second domain at least by including the second service function chain header and the identifier.

2 . The network device of claim 1 , wherein the first domain comprises an upper level domain in a hierarchy of domains, and wherein the second domain comprises a lower level domain in the hierarchy of domains.

3 . The network device of claim 2 , wherein the upper level domain uses a first chaining protocol, and wherein the lower level domain uses a second and different chaining protocol.

4 . The network device of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is encoded as metadata in a field of the new service packet.

5 . The network device of claim 5 , wherein the field of the new packet comprises at least one of: a segment route header, a Media Access Control (MAC) header, a network service header, a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) label, and a higher layer field of the new service packet.

6 . A network device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor further to:
search in the memory for the first service function chain header; in response to a match for the first service function chain header being found,
retrieving the identifier associated with the first service function chain header; and
in response to no match for the first service function chain header being found,
creating a new identifier associated with the first service function chain header; and
storing the first service function chain header with the new identifier in the memory.

7 . A hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) comprising:
a memory; at least one processor; a first communication interface corresponding to a first domain using a first chaining protocol; a second communication interface corresponding to a second domain using a second chaining protocol, wherein the first chaining protocol is different from the second chaining protocol; the at least one processor to: receive a service packet including a first service function chain header via the first communication interface corresponding to the first domain; identify a key identifier in the service packet; retrieve a second service function chain header based on the key identifier in the service packet; transform the service packet from a first domain to a second domain by substituting the first service function chain header corresponding to first domain in the service packet with the second service function chain header corresponding to the second domain; and transmit the service packet including the second service function chain header via the second communication interface corresponding to the second domain.

8 . The hierarchical chaining gateway of claim 7 , wherein the first domain comprises a lower level domain in a hierarchy of domains, and wherein the second domain comprises an upper level domain in the hierarchy of domains.

9 . The hierarchical chaining gateway of claim 7 , wherein a length corresponding to the key identifier remains same as a number of levels in the hierarchy of domains increases.

10 . A hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) comprising:
a memory; at least one processor; a first communication interface corresponding to a first domain using a first chaining protocol; a second communication interface corresponding to a second domain using a second chaining protocol, wherein the first chaining protocol is different from the second chaining protocol; the at least one processor to: receive a service packet via the first communication interface corresponding to the first domain; transform the service packet from a first domain to a second domain by substituting a first service function chain header corresponding to the first domain in the service packet with a second and different service function chain header corresponding to the second domain; transmit the service packet including the second and different service function chain header via the second communication interface corresponding to the second domain.

11 . The hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor further to;
determine whether the first service chain header is stored in the memory; store the first service function chain header in the memory in response to the first service chain header not being stored in the memory, wherein the first service function chain header is identified by a first key identifier; retrieve the first key identifier corresponding to the first service function chain header in response to the first service chain header being stored in the memory; and include the first key identifier in the service packet prior to transmitting the service packet via the second communication interface corresponding to the second domain.

12 . The hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) of claim 11 , wherein the first key identifier comprises a second key identifier corresponding to a third service function chain header stored in another hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) between a third domain and the first domain, and wherein the third domain is an upper level domain to the first domain in a hierarchy of domains.

13 . The hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) of claim 11 , wherein the first key identifier is included in the service packet as at least one of: a segment route header, a Media Access Control (MAC) header, a network service header, a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) label, and a higher layer field of the new service packet.

14 . The hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor further to:
classify the service packet into at least one service function chain in the second domain prior to transmitting the service packet via the second communication interface corresponding to the second domain.

15 . The hierarchical chaining gateway (hCG) of claim 14 , wherein the at least one service function chain in the second domain appear as a single service function to entities in the first domain, wherein the first domain comprises an upper level domain in a hierarchy of domains, and wherein the second domain comprises a lower level domain in the hierarchy of domains.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Bottorff Paul Allen
• Fedyk Don
• Perlman Barak

Classifications

• H04L12/4645

  Details on frame tagging (routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354) · CPC title

• H04L12/66 Primary

  Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways · CPC title

• H04L45/50

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

• H04L47/24

  Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS · CPC title

• H04L45/04

  Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing · CPC title