Network virtualization system, physical node, and virtual interface identification method in virtual machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9489224-B2
Application number	US-201113993065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2011
Priority date	Dec 28, 2010
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A domain management apparatus instructs physical nodes about the configuration of virtual nodes and virtual links of virtual networks. The physical nodes assign a virtual machine to a virtual node based on the definition of the virtual node contained in an instruction from the domain management apparatus. The physical nodes write a configuration associating virtual interfaces in the virtual node definition with virtual NICs on the virtual machine into a configuration file of the operating system to be started up on the virtual machine before the start-up of the virtual machine and, then, start up the virtual machine. Therefore, it is possible to recognize the correspondence relation between the virtual interface in the virtual node definition and the virtual NIC in the virtual machine without referring to the virtual network assignment result and without waiting for the start-up of the virtual machine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network virtualization system comprising:
a physical node having a memory constituting a network; and
a domain management apparatus that instructs the physical node about a configuration of a virtual node and a virtual link of a virtual network in order to allocate a resource in the physical node,
wherein when the physical node assigns a virtual machine to the virtual node based on a definition of the virtual node contained in an instruction from the domain management apparatus, the physical node writes a configuration associating a check result indicating that the resource can be allocated, information contained in the virtual node definition, and information about the virtual machine into a configuration file of an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine before start-up of the virtual machine and, after that, starts up the virtual machine,
wherein the physical node:
associates a virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine with each of a virtual interface included in the virtual node definition one by one as information included in the virtual node definition;
assigns a value to a media access control (MAC) address of the virtual network interface card (NIC) as information about the virtual machine, the value being unique at least within the virtual machine; and
writes a rule associating the virtual interface included in the virtual node definition with a media access control (MAC) address assigned to the virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine into a configuration file of an interface mapping unit of an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine in a virtual disk of the virtual machine before start-up of the virtual machine and, after that, starts up the virtual machine.

2. The network virtualization system according to claim 1 , wherein the physical node writes a rule specifying that an identifier of the virtual interface included in the virtual node definition is assigned as a network interface card (NIC) name of a virtual network interface card (NIC) having a media access control (MAC) address assigned to the virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine into a configuration file of the interface mapping unit.

3. The network virtualization system according to claim 2 , wherein when the physical node is to perform writing into the configuration file of the interface mapping unit, the physical node checks whether there is a file specific to an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine as a file within a virtual disk of the virtual machine or not, or whether there is an execution file of the interface mapping unit or not, and only when there is the file or the execution file, performs writing into the configuration file of the interface mapping unit.

4. The network virtualization system according to claim 1 , wherein when the physical node is to perform writing into the configuration file of the interface mapping unit, the physical node checks whether there is a file specific to an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine as a file within a virtual disk of the virtual machine or not, or whether there is an execution file of the interface mapping unit or not, and only when there is the file or the execution file, performs writing into the configuration file of the interface mapping unit.

5. The network virtualization system according to claim 1 , the physical node recognizes a correspondence relationship between the virtual interface and the virtual NIC without referring to the virtual network assignment result and without waiting for the start-up of the virtual machine.

6. A physical node comprising:
virtual node definition interpretation unit stored in a memory that receives a virtual node assignment request and interpreting a definition of the assignment-requested virtual node;
resource allocation unit that receives a result from the virtual node definition interpretation unit, checking a resource to be allocated to the virtual node in order to allocate the resource in the physical node, and assigning a virtual machine;
virtual machine parameter generating unit that assigns a value to a media access control (MAC) address of a virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine, the value being unique at least within the virtual machine;
virtual disk manipulating unit that writes a configuration associating a check result indicating that the resource can be allocated, information contained in the virtual node assignment request, and information about the virtual machine into a configuration file of an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine before start-up of the virtual machine, the configuration file being stored in a virtual disk of the virtual machine; and
virtual machine monitor unit that performs execution control of the virtual machine, wherein:
the virtual node definition interpretation unit receives a virtual node assignment request including a definition of a virtual interface held by a virtual node and interprets a definition of the assignment-requested virtual node,
the resource allocation unit receives a result from the virtual node definition interpretation unit, checks a resource to be allocated to the virtual node, and assigns a virtual machine to the virtual node,
the virtual machine parameter generation processing unit associates a virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine with each of the virtual interface included in the virtual node assignment request one by one, and assigns a value to a media access control (MAC) address of the virtual network interface card network interface card (NIC), the value being unique at least within the virtual machine,
the virtual disk manipulating unit writes a rule associating the virtual interface included in the virtual node assignment request with a media access control (MAC) address assigned to the virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine into a configuration file of interface mapping unit of an operating system to be started up on the virtual machine before start-up of the virtual machine, and
the virtual machine monitor unit performs execution control of the virtual machine.

7. The physical node according to claim 6 recognizes a correspondence relationship between the virtual interface and the virtual NIC without referring to the virtual network assignment result and without waiting for the start-up of the virtual machine.

8. A virtual interface identification method in a virtual machine, the method comprising:
receiving, by a physical node constituting a network, a virtual node assignment request including a definition of a virtual interface held by a virtual node, and interpreting the definition of the assignment-requested virtual node;
receiving, by the physical node, a result of the virtual node definition interpretation, checking a resource to be allocated to the virtual node in order to allocate the resource in the physical node, and assigning a virtual machine;
associating, by the physical node, a virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine with each of the virtual interface included in the virtual node assignment request one by one, and assigning a value to a media access control (MAC) address of the virtual network interface card (NIC), the value being unique at least within the virtual machine; and
writing, by the physical node, a rule associating a check result indicating that the resource can be allocated, and the virtual interface included in the virtual node assignment request with a media access control (MAC) address assigned to the virtual network interface card (NIC) of the virtual machine into a configuration file of an interface mapping unit of an operat

Assignees

• Motoki Akihiro
• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Motoki Akihiro

Classifications

• G06F9/45533 Primary

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title

• H04L41/0806 Primary

  for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play · CPC title

• H04L41/0895

  Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements · CPC title