Workload optimization in a wide area network utilizing virtual switches

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712463-B1
Application number	US-201213621534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 17, 2012
Priority date	Sep 29, 2005
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for data traffic optimization within a virtual environment. The method may be implemented within a data center hosting virtual machines and using virtual switches for routing data traffic. The method includes instructing a virtual switch associated with a virtual machine to redirect one or more data packets directed to or from a first address associated with the virtual machine to a second address associated with data optimization virtual machine, wherein the redirection is based at least in part on an access control list, receiving, at the data optimization virtual machine, the one or more data packets redirected by the virtual switch, selectively performing one or more transformations on the one or more data packets to create one or more transformed data packets, and transmitting the one or more transformed data packets to the first address.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for data traffic optimization within a virtual environment, the method comprising:
retrieving a list of a plurality of virtual machine workloads;
receiving a selection to optimize data traffic from at least one virtual machine from the retrieved list of the plurality of virtual machine workloads;
instructing a virtual switch in a hypervisor associated with the selected at least one virtual machine to redirect one or more data packets directed to or from a first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine to a second address associated with a first data optimization virtual machine;
receiving, at the first data optimization virtual machine, the one or more data packets redirected by the virtual switch;
determining whether a second data optimization virtual machine is present at a destination site for the one or more data packets;
if the second data optimization virtual machine is present at the destination site for the one or more data packets:
selectively performing, at the first data optimization virtual machine, one or more transformations on the one or more data packets received to create one or more transformed data packets; and
transmitting the one or more transformed data packets to the second data optimization virtual machine; and

transmitting the one or more data packets to a destination address if no second data optimization virtual machine is present at the destination site.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirection of the one or more data packets is based at least in part on an access control list.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second data optimization virtual machine reconstructs the transformed data packets from the first data optimization virtual machine and forwards them to an original destination.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more transformations include one or more of encryption, decryption, compression, and decompression.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected at least one virtual machine is a source of the data packets and the first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine is an original destination address.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected at least one virtual machine is a destination of the data packets and the first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine is an original source address.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more transformations of the one or more data packets at the first data optimization virtual machine are based on one or more criteria.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more data transformations are based on the first address.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructing further includes providing to the first data optimization virtual machine one or more data optimization parameters.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirecting the one or more data packets is performed in accordance with a command line interface protocol.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes removing the first address from at least one header of the one or more data packets and replacing the first address with the second address.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes removing the first address from at least one header of the one or more data packets and prepending or appending the second address to the one or more data packets.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes overriding the first address from at least one header of the one or more data packets by prepending or appending the second address to the headers.

14. A computer system for data traffic optimization within a virtual environment, the system comprising:
an optimization controller to retrieve a list of a plurality of virtual machine workloads, receive a selection to optimize data traffic from at least one virtual machine from the retrieved list of the plurality of virtual machine workloads, and provide redirection instructions to a virtual switch in a hypervisor associated with the selected at least one virtual machine;
the virtual switch to redirect, based on the redirection instructions, one or more data packets directed to or from a first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine to a second address associated with a first data optimization virtual machine; and
the first data optimization virtual machine to:
receive the one or more data packets redirected by the virtual switch;
selectively perform one or more transformations on the one or more data packets to create one or more transformed data packets if a second data optimization virtual machine is present at a destination site for the one or more data packets;
transmit the one or more transformed data packets to the second data optimization virtual machine if present at the destination site; and
transmit the one or more data packets to a destination address if the second data optimization virtual machine is not present at the destination site.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redirection of the one or more data packets is based at least in part on an access control list.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the second data optimization virtual machine reconstructs the transformed data packets from the first data optimization virtual machine and forwards them to an original destination.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the first data optimization virtual machine performs at least one of encryption, decryption, compression, and decompression.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the selected at least one virtual machine is a source of the one or more data packets and the first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine is an original destination address.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the selected at least one virtual machine is a destination of the one or more data packets and the first address associated with the selected at least one virtual machine is an original source address.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more transformations of the one or more data packets at the first data optimization virtual machine are based on one or more criteria.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more transformations on the one or more data packets to create one or more transformed data packets are based on the first address.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the optimization controller further provides one or more data optimization parameters to the first data optimization virtual machine.

23. The system of claim 14 , wherein the virtual switch redirects the one or more data packets in accordance with a command line interface protocol.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes removing the first address from headers of the one or more data packets and replacing the first address with the second address.

25. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes removing the first address from at least one header of the one or more data packets and prepending or appending the second address to the one or more data packets.

26. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redirecting one or more data packets includes overriding the first address from at least one hea

Assignees

• Silver Peak Systems Inc

Inventors

• Hughes David Anthony
• Hubbard Carl
• Ho Hon Tat
• Ennis Damon John

Classifications

• H04L12/4641

  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

• H04L49/70 Primary

  Virtual switches · CPC title

• H04L67/1097 Primary

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title