Nicira, Inc.

Ariel Tubaltsev

Anupam Chanda

Ronghua Zhang

Serge Maskalik

Kai-Wei Fan

Rajiv Ramanathan

Srinivas Neginhal

Benjamin C Basler

David J Leroy

Ansis Atteka

Hua Wang

Ziyou Wang

Jianjun Shen

Pradeep Singh

Sarvani Vakkalanka

HsinYi Shen

Hsin-Yi Shen

Some embodiments provide a network system. The network system includes a first set of host machines for hosting virtual machines that connect to each other through a logical network. The first set of host machines includes managed forwarding elements for forwarding data between the host machines. The network system includes a second set of host machines for hosting virtualized containers that operate as gateways for forwarding data between the virtual machines and an external network. At least one of the virtualized containers peers with at least one physical router in the external network in order to advertise addresses of the virtual machines to the physical router.

Route advertisement by managed gateways

For a virtual distributed network environment employing physical forwarding elements that includes both software forwarding elements and third party devices serving as hardware forwarding elements, a scalable method for synchronizing configuration data of logical forwarding elements that are distributed across the various physical forwarding elements is provided. The method generates and updates the configuration data at a set of central controllers and then distributes the configuration data to the physical forwarding elements. The method delivers the updated configuration data to some of the physical forwarding elements by (i) determining a delta/differential between the updated configuration data held at the central controller and the obsolete configuration data held at those physical forwarding elements and (ii) delivering the determined differential configuration data to the physical forwarding elements.

Scalable controller for hardware VTEPs

Some embodiments provide a novel method for managing hardware forwarding elements (MHFEs) that facilitate the creation of multiple logical networks on a set of shared physical forwarding elements. The method uses a set of logical controllers that generate data that defines a set of logical networks, and a set physical controllers to distribute the generated data to the hardware forwarding elements. In some embodiments, each MHFE can serve as either a master MHFE or a slave MHFE for one set of computing end nodes (e.g., VMs, containers, etc.) in a logical network. To ensure proper routing of data packets to the computing end nodes, each MHFE sends to its physical controller an inventory (e.g., a table, a list, etc.) of the set of computing end nodes for which it serves as the master MHFE or the slave MHFE. Each physical controller forwards the inventory for each logical network to the logical controller for the logical network. Each logical controller maintains the master inventory of the MHFEs that are masters (and slaves if applicable) of the various compute end nodes of each logical network managed by the logical controller. After receiving a new inventory from a physical controller, the logical controller updates its records, resolves any conflicts while it is updating its records, and distributes one or more master/slave inventories for one or more logical networks that it manages to the physical controllers, which, in turn, pass this information to the MHFEs that they manage.

Managing tunnel endpoints for facilitating creation of logical networks

Some embodiments provide, for a first controller application, a method for configuring a managed hardware forwarding element (MHFE) to implement one or more logical networks. The method of some embodiments receives logical network data that defines at least one logical forwarding element of a logical network to be implemented by the MHFE. The method then identifies a set of tables of a database instance that is instantiated on the MHFE in order to distribute the logical network data to the MHFE. In some embodiments, the method monitors the identified set of tables in order to determine whether a second controller application updates any one of the set of tables. The method distributes the logical network data to the MHFE so long as none of the tables in the set of tables is updated by the second controller application.

Preventing concurrent distribution of network data to a hardware switch by multiple controllers

Some embodiments provide a novel method for managing hardware forwarding elements (MHFEs) that facilitate the creation of multiple logical networks on a set of shared physical forwarding elements. The method uses a set of logical controllers that generate data that defines a set of logical networks, and a set physical controllers to distribute the generated data to the hardware forwarding elements. In some embodiments, each MHFE can serve as either a master WIFE or a slave MHFE for one set of computing end nodes (e.g., VMs, containers, etc.) in a logical network. To ensure proper routing of data packets to the computing end nodes, each MHFE sends to its physical controller an inventory (e.g., a table, a list, etc.) of the set of computing end nodes for which it serves as the master MHFE or the slave MHFE. Each physical controller forwards the inventory for each logical network to the logical controller for the logical network. Each logical controller maintains the master inventory of the MHFEs that are masters (and slaves if applicable) of the various compute end nodes of each logical network managed by the logical controller. After receiving a new inventory from a physical controller, the logical controller updates its records, resolves any conflicts while it is updating its records, and distributes one or more master/slave inventories for one or more logical networks that it manages to the physical controllers, which, in turn, pass this information to the MHFEs that they manage.

Scalable controller for hardware VTEPS

Some embodiments provide a network system. The network system includes a first set of host machines hosting virtual machines that connect to each other through a logical network. The network system includes a second set of host machines hosting virtualized containers that operate as gateways to process packets entering the logical network from external sources. Each of the virtualized containers advertises itself to an external router as a next hop for packets entering the logical network such that the external router uses equal-cost multi-path forwarding to distribute the packets across the virtualized containers on the second set of host machines.

Managed gateways peering with external router to attract ingress packets

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Ariel Tubaltsev