Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Barefoot Networks, Inc.

Aled Justin Edwards

Alistair Neil Coles

Srivathsa Dhruvanarayan

Gregory C Watson

Glen Raymond Gibb

Constantine Calamvokis

Patrick Goldsack

Anna Fischer

Timothy Reddin

Liam Noel Kelleher

Chris I Dalton

Mark Gooch

Jonathan Griffin

Andrew Patrick Norman

Eric Henri Ulysse Deliot

Matthew Murray Williamson

Some embodiments provide a method for a parser of a processing pipeline. The method receives a packet for processing by a set of match-action stages of the processing pipeline. The method stores packet header field (PHF) values from a first set of PHFs of the packet in a set of data containers. The first set of PHFs are for use by the match-action stages. For a second set of PHFs not used by the match-action stages, the method generates descriptive data that identifies locations of the PHFs of the second set within the packet. The method sends (i) the set of data containers to the match-action stages and (ii) the packet data and the generated descriptive data outside of the match-action stages to a deparser that uses the packet data, generated descriptive data, and the set of data containers as modified by the match-action stages to reconstruct a modified packet.

Generation of descriptive data for packet fields

Some embodiments provide a method for a hardware forwarding element deparser. The method receives, from a match-action pipeline, (i) packet header field values stored in a set of data containers and (ii) a set of data indicating which packet header fields, of multiple possible packet header fields, to include in a packet constructed from the packet header field values. The method uses the received set of data and a list of data container identifiers for multiple possible packet header fields to generate an ordered list of references to data containers of the set of data containers. Based on the ordered list, the method constructs the packet using the packet header field values stored in the referenced data containers.

Configurable forwarding element deparser

Some embodiments provide a method for a deparser of a processing pipeline. The method receives, from a set of match-action stages of the pipeline, packet header field (PHF) values for a first set of PHFs of a packet processed by the match-action stages. The method also receives, directly from a parser of the pipeline, (i) packet data for the packet prior to any modification by the match-action stages and (ii) descriptive data that specifies locations within the packet data for a second set of PHFs of the packet that are not included in the first set of PHFs. The method constructs a packet from (i) the PHF values received for the first set of PHFs and (ii) the packet data received for the second set of PHFs. The descriptive data is used to extract packet header field values for the second set of PHFs from the packet data.

Packet reconstruction at deparser

In some examples, an indication that a virtual machine is to begin a boot process is received. In response to the received indication and prior to beginning the boot process, the virtual machine is migrated from a first host to a secured host, where the secured host includes a security mechanism to provide security that is unavailable at the first host. In response to the migrating, the boot process of the virtual machine is initiated at the secured host. The virtual machine is migrated from the secured host to a host other than the secured host in response to determining that the boot process of the virtual machine at the secured host is complete.

Migrating virtual machines to perform boot processes

In one implementation, a secure operation system initiates a secure operation associated with a virtual machine hosted at a secured host, and determines when the secure operation is complete. In response to determining that the secure operation is complete, the secure operation system migrates the virtual machine to a host other than the secured host.

Secure operations for virtual machines

Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to input/output (I/O) operations at a virtual block device of a storage server. Example embodiments include requesting an input/output (I/O) operation at an offset of a virtual block device of a storage server in response to a virtual machine request for an I/O operation at a virtual disk.

Input/output operations at a virtual block device of a storage server

Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to a persistent volume at an offset of a virtual block device of a storage server. Example embodiments include requesting that a persistent volume be dissociated from a virtual block device in response to the termination of a virtual machine.

Persistent volume at an offset of a virtual block device of a storage server

A data center can share processing resources using virtual networks. A hosting programhosts one or more virtual machines. The program has a virtual interface VIF, to the virtual machines, a network interfaceto enable communication between the virtual machines and other nodes of a network, and an infrastructure management interface, invisible to the virtual machines. The program has an intercept functionimplemented as a comparator, switch or router, arranged to intercept a status message from one of the virtual machines, or applications run by that virtual machine. The status indication is sent to a status bufferand is made available to the infrastructure management interface without providing a network path between the management interface and the virtual machine. This can discriminate between VM failure and communication failure, and the invisibility maintains isolation and helps avoid vulnerability to denial of service attack.

Virtual machine liveness determination

A data center can share processing resources using virtual networks. A virtual machine manager () hosts one or more virtual machines (), the virtual machines forming part of a segmented virtual network (). Outgoing messages from the virtual machines have an intermediate destination address of an intermediate node in a local segment of the segmented virtual network, and the virtual machine manager has a router () for determining a new intermediate destination address outside the local segment, for routing the given outgoing message. By having the router as part of the virtual machine manager rather than having only a switch in the virtual machine manager, the need for virtual machines for implementing gateways is avoided. This can reduce the number of 'hops' for the message between virtual entities hosted, and thus improve performance. This can help a service provider to share physical processing resources of a data center between different clients having their own virtual networks.

Routing across a virtual network

A method of operating a first host within a network of a plurality of hosts. Over the course of a first time interval, requests received at the first host from a second host to send data to destination hosts are monitored. Identities of destination hosts monitored during the first time interval are compared with destination host identities in a record. Then, either data relating to requests which identify a destination host not in the record are stored in a storage buffer. Or the passage of data from the second host to the destination host within the network is limited over the course of the first time interval, so that during the first time interval the second host is unable to send data to more than a predetermined number of hosts not in the record.

Propagation of viruses through an information technology network

Many modern microprocessors support parallel processing operations, such as single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operations. The present invention presents a number of ways in which maximum advantage can be taken of these operations to provide an efficient way of processing multiple data channels.

Processing data

A method for performing a hash transformation in a network device to generate a hash pointer for an address input by using rotation. The method includes to step of receiving an address input. Rotated copies of the address input are subsequently logically combined in accordance with a key to generate a hashing result corresponding to the address input. The hash result is subsequently output.

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Charfield, United Kingdom

Aled Justin Edwards