Scaling of virtual machine addresses in datacenters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9237124-B2
Application number	US-201213548902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2012
Priority date	Jul 14, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A device in a server having a processor and a storage. The device has a protocol blind network path indication unit configured to obtain an indicator corresponding to a predetermined path to a data communication unit in the network using a destination address of a received data packet, an upstream communication unit configured to transmit a network protocol blind packet including the data packet and the indicator corresponding to the predetermined data path to the data communication unit in the network, a combiner configured to bind the indicator to the data packet received by the downstream communication unit, and a protocol blind correlation storage unit configured to provide information related to target addresses and indicators corresponding to a plurality of predetermined data paths in the network. The protocol blind network path indication unit obtains the indicator corresponding to a predetermined path by accessing the protocol blind correlation structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network device of a server having a processor and a storage, the network device comprising:
a communication unit configured to receive a data packet to be transmitted to a destination in a data communications network;
a protocol blind network path indication unit configured to obtain an indicator corresponding to a predetermined network path through an overlay network comprising one or more tunnels having one or more attributes connecting a first network switch to a second network switch in the data communications network, using a destination address of the data packet, the predetermined network path corresponding to one of the one or more tunnels; and
a network protocol blind packet generation unit configured to generate a network protocol blind packet including:
the data packet, and
the indicator to the predetermined data path in the data communications network, the network protocol blind packet being generated independent of a network protocol of the overlay network.

2. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined data path is compliant with the network protocol of the overlay network.

3. The network device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a protocol blind correlation storage unit configured to store information related to target addresses and indicators corresponding to a plurality of predetermined data paths in the overlay network,
wherein the protocol blind network path indication unit is configured to obtain the indicator corresponding to the predetermined data path by accessing the protocol blind correlation storage unit.

4. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined data path is from a first network switch coupled to the server to a second network switch coupled to another server associated with the destination device.

5. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the indicator is a lookup key which includes less information than path characteristics information required to transmit the protocol blind packet over the data communications network.

6. A server comprising the network device as set forth in claim 1 .

7. A network switch having a processor and a memory, the switch comprising:
a downstream communication unit configured to receive a network protocol blind packet including a data packet and an indicator corresponding to a predetermined data path through an overlay network comprising one or more tunnels having one or more attributes connecting the network switch to another network switch in a data communications network, the predetermined network path corresponding to one of the one or more tunnels, and the network protocol blind packet being generated independent of a network protocol of the overlay network;
a protocol aware network path indication unit configured to obtain information according to a predetermined protocol related to the predetermined data path from a protocol aware correlation storage for transmitting the network protocol blind packet to the data communication unit; and
an upstream communication unit configured to transmit a network protocol aware packet via the obtained data path through the data communications network.

8. The network switch of claim 7 , wherein the switch is coupled to one or more servers, and is configured to receive the data packet from a virtual machine defined in one of the servers, and transmit the packet to a destination virtual machine associated with one of the other switch in the data communications network.

9. The network switch as set forth in claim 7 , further comprising:
a combiner configured to generate a network packet header that is compliant with the overlay network corresponding to path information related to the data path obtained from the protocol aware correlation storage and envelops the data packet received by the downstream communication unit with the network packet header.

10. A system supporting data communication through a data communications network, comprising:
a server and a first network switch;
the server being configured to:
translate a destination address of a data packet from the first network switch coupled to the server to a second network switch coupled to another server deploying a destination device into an indicator corresponding to a predetermined path through an overlay network comprising one or more tunnels having one or more attributes connecting the first network switch to the second network switch, the predetermined network path corresponding to one of the one or more tunnels; and
transmit the data packet and the indictor to the first network switch, and
the first network switch being configured to:
receive the data packet and the indicator;
obtain path information corresponding to the data path using the received indicator;
generate a network packet header that is compliant with the overlay network corresponding to the path information related to the data path;
envelop the received data packet with the network packet header; and
transmit the data packet to the destination device via the data path through the overlay network.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first network switch is an Edge Bridge.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the server is configured to translate the destination address into an index by using a network protocol blind table stored in the server.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first network switch is configured to obtain the information corresponding to the data path by using a network protocol aware table stored in the first network switch.

14. A method for data communications in a data communications network, comprising:
receiving a data packet to be transmitted to a destination in the data communications network;
obtaining an indicator, corresponding to a predetermined network path through an overlay network comprising one or more tunnels having one or more attributes connecting a first network switch to a second network switch in the data communications network, using a destination address of the data packet, the predetermined network path corresponding to one of the one or more tunnels; and
generating a network protocol blind packet including:
the data packet, and
the indicator to the predetermined data path in the data communications network, the network protocol blind packet being generated independent of a network protocol of the overlay network.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined data path is compliant with the network protocol of the overlay network.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
storing, in a protocol blind correlation storage unit, information related to target addresses and indicators corresponding to a plurality of predetermined data paths in the network,
wherein the indicator corresponding to the predetermined data path is obtained by accessing the protocol blind correlation storage unit.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined data path is from a first network switch coupled to the server to a second network switch coupled to another server associated with the destination device.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the indicator is a lookup key which includes less information than path characteristics information required to transmit the protocol blind packet over the data communications network.

19. A method for data communications by a network switch in a data communications network comprising:
receiving a network protocol blind packet including a data packet and an indicator corresponding to a predetermined data path through an overlay ne

Assignees

• Arad Carmi
• Mizrahi Tal
• Marvell Israel Misl Ltd

Inventors

• Arad Carmi
• Mizrahi Tal

Classifications

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L61/103 Primary

  across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP] · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title