High-efficiency service chaining with agentless service nodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9794379-B2
Application number	US-201414305810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2014
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An example method for distributed service chaining is provided and includes receiving a packet belonging to a service chain in a distributed virtual switch (DVS) network environment, the packet includes a network service header (NSH) indicating a service path identifier identifying the service chain. The packet is provided to a virtual Ethernet module (VEM) connected to an agentless service node (SN) providing an edge service such as a server load balancer (SLB). The VEM associates a service path identifier corresponding to the service chain with a local identifier such as a virtual local area network (VLAN). The agentless SN returns the packet to the VEM for forwarding on the VLAN. Because the VLAN corresponds exactly to the service path and service chain, the packet is forwarded directly to the next node in the service chain. This can enable agentless SNs to efficiently provide a service chain for network traffic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving an in-path network packet of a service insertion architecture on a network interface;
classifying the network packet to associate the network packet with a service chain, wherein the service chain comprises an agentless service node that is not service-chain aware;
associating the service chain with a local identifier, the local identifier comprising a mapping to enable the agentless node to follow the service chain's servicing order; and
forwarding the network packet to a path corresponding to the local identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the local identifier is a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein associating the service chain with a local identifier comprises associating the VLAN with a service path identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forwarding the network packet to a path corresponding to the local identifier comprises forwarding the network packet to a service node configured for applying a service to the network packet.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the service is an edge service.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the service node is an agentless service node of the service insertion architecture.

7. A network device comprising:
an intelligently controlled network interface; and
logic, at least partly implemented in hardware, operable for:
receiving an in-path network packet of a service insertion architecture on the network interface;
classifying the network packet to associate the network packet with a service chain, wherein the service chain comprises an agentless service node that is not service-chain aware;
associating the service chain with a local identifier, the local identifier comprising a mapping to enable the agentless node to follow the service chain's servicing order; and
forwarding the network packet to a path corresponding to the local identifier.

8. The network device of claim 7 , wherein the local identifier is a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier.

9. The network device of claim 8 , wherein associating the service chain with a local identifier comprises associating the VLAN with a service path identifier.

10. The network device of claim 7 , wherein forwarding the network packet comprises forwarding the packet to a service node configured for providing a service to the network packet.

11. The network device of claim 10 , wherein the service is an edge service.

12. The network device of claim 10 , wherein the service node is an edge service node.

13. One or more tangible, non-transitory storage mediums having stored thereon logic operable for instructing a processor for:
receiving an in-path network packet of a service insertion architecture on a network interface;
classifying the network packet to associate the network packet with a service chain, wherein the service chain comprises an agentless service node that is not service-chain aware;
associating the service chain with a local identifier, the local identifier comprising a mapping to enable the agentless node to follow the service chain's servicing order; and
forwarding the network packet to a path corresponding to the local identifier.

14. The one or more tangible, non-transitory storage mediums of claim 13 , wherein the local identifier is a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier.

15. The one or more tangible, non-transitory storage mediums of claim 14 , wherein associating the service chain with a local identifier comprises associating the VLAN with a service path identifier.

16. The one or more tangible, non-transitory storage mediums of claim 13 , wherein forwarding the network packet to a path corresponding to the local identifier comprises forwarding the network packet to a service node configured for applying a service to the network packet.

17. The one or more tangible, non-transitory storage mediums of claim 16 , wherein the service is an edge service.

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Kumar Surendra M
• Bagepalli Nagaraj A
• Patra Abhijit

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

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L45/586

  of virtual routers · CPC title

• H04L45/306

  Route determination based on the nature of the carried application · CPC title

• H04L45/302

  Route determination based on requested QoS · CPC title