System and method for propagating virtualization awareness in a network environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9306768-B2
Application number	US-201213671275-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2012
Priority date	Nov 7, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A method provided in one example embodiment includes a first network device receiving a request comprising a name of a port profile to be subscribed to by a virtual interface (“VIF”). For the first subscribing to the port profile, the first network device notifies a second network device concerning use of the port profile and the second network device applies a network configuration in connection with the notifying. The first network device may receive a removal request identifying a port profile to be unsubscribed from by a VIF. For the last VIF unsubscribing from the identified port profile, the first network device notifies the second network device concerning the unsubscription and the second network device applies a new network configuration in connection with the unsubscription notification. In one embodiment, the second network device comprises a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile preconfigured thereon for specifying the network configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving at a first network device a request comprising a name of a port profile to be subscribed to by a virtual interface (“VIF”), wherein the port profile comprises network policies to be applied to a virtual machine connected to the VIF;
notifying a second network device concerning use of the port profile, which has been subscribed to by a first VIF, wherein the second network device applies a network configuration in connection with the notifying;
receiving a removal request identifying a port profile to be unsubscribed from by a VIF; and
for a last VIF unsubscribing from the identified port profile, notifying the second network device concerning the unsubscription, wherein a new network configuration is applied in connection with the unsubscription notification.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network device comprises a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile preconfigured thereon, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
accessing a centralized policy server for accessing a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network configuration comprises a global configuration.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network configuration comprises a local configuration specific to a trunk between the first and second network devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network device is an access layer switch and the second network device is a distribution layer switch.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the port profile comprises one of a plurality of port profiles each having a virtualization profile associated therewith available to the second network device.

8. At least one non-transitory tangible medium having encoded thereon logic that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:
receiving at a first network device a request comprising a name of a port profile to be subscribed to by a virtual interface (“VIF”), wherein the port profile comprises network policies to be applied to a virtual machine connected to the VIF;
notifying a second network device concerning use of the port profile, which has been subscribed to by a first VIF, wherein the second network device applies a network configuration in connection with the notifying;
receiving a removal request identifying a port profile to be unsubscribed from by a VIF; and
for a last VIF unsubscribing from the identified port profile, notifying the second network device concerning the unsubscription, wherein a new network configuration is applied in connection with the unsubscription notification.

9. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the second network device comprises a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile preconfigured thereon, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

10. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the logic is further operable to perform operations comprising accessing a centralized policy server for accessing a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

11. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the network configuration comprises one of a global configuration and a local configuration specific to a trunk between the first and second network devices.

12. The medium of claim 8 , wherein the first network device is an access layer switch and the second network device is an uplink switch.

13. An apparatus comprising:
a memory element configured to store data;
a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data; and
at least one virtualization awareness module configured to:
receiving at a first network device a request comprising a name of a port profile to be subscribed to by a virtual interface (“VIF”), wherein the port profile comprises network policies to be applied to a virtual machine connected to the VIF; and
notifying a second network device concerning use of the port profile, which has been subscribed to by a first VIF, wherein the second network device applies a network configuration in connection with the notifying;
receiving a removal request identifying a port profile to be unsubscribed from by a VIF; and
for a last VIF unsubscribing from the identified port profile, notifying the second network device concerning the unsubscription, wherein a new network configuration is applied in connection with the unsubscription notification.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the network device has a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile preconfigured thereon, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the virtualization awareness module is further configured to access a centralized policy server for accessing a virtualization profile corresponding to the port profile, the virtualization profile specifying the network configuration.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the network configuration comprises one of a global configuration and a local configuration specific to a trunk between the apparatus and the network device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is an access layer switch.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the network device is an uplink switch.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the request is a virtual network interface card (“vNIC”) request.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Bhatt Mehul J

Classifications

• H04L12/4641 Primary

  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