International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Bhalachandra G Banavalikar

Keshav G Kamble

Renato John Recio

Dar-Ren Leu

Casimer M DeCusatis

Mircea R Gusat

Amitabha Biswas

Vinit Jain

Jayakrishna Kidambi

Vijoy A Pandey

Abhijit Prabhakar Kumbhare

Chidambaram Bhagavathiperumal

James A Maples

Stephan Benny

Uday Shankar Nagaraj

In an embodiment, a network adapter obtains tunneling endpoint information for each virtual switch of a plurality of virtual switches of a multi-destination group. The network adapter encapsulates each of a plurality of replicated multi-destination packets corresponding to respective virtual switches of the plurality of virtual switches with a header specific to a respective tunneling protocol identified in the tunneling endpoint information obtained for the respective virtual switch. The network adapter transmits each encapsulated multi-destination packet to a respective receiver hosted on the respective virtual switch corresponding to the encapsulated multi-destination packet, wherein the respective virtual switch determines a destination port for the encapsulated multi-destination packet on the respective virtual switch by identifying the multi-destination group, determined from the encapsulated multi-destination packet, in a port list on the respective virtual switch.

Transmitting multi-destination packets in overlay networks

In one embodiment, a system includes a hardware processor and logic implemented with and/or executable by the processor to determine that expiration of a timer has occurred, and in response to expiration of the timer, import entries from a media access control (MAC) address table stored by a switch controller into a MAC address table stored by a switch until the MAC address table stored by the switch is full, where the logic to import entries includes logic to import entries in the MAC address table stored by the switch controller determined to be more often used into the MAC address table stored by the switch before entries determined to be less often used.

Avoiding unknown unicast floods resulting from MAC address table overflows

In one embodiment, a system includes a switch having logic configured to receive an overlay packet via an overlay tunnel, the overlay packet including an overlay tunnel header having Quality of Service (QoS) attributes stored therein and a packet, remove the QoS attributes from the overlay tunnel header, decapsulate the packet from the overlay packet to remove the overlay tunnel header, determine a destination port from the packet, and forward the packet to the destination port. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet on a source port, determining a virtual network associated with the source port, encapsulating the packet with at least one overlay tunnel header to form an overlay packet, storing QoS attributes with the at least one overlay tunnel header, the QoS attributes being determined in part by the virtual network, and sending the overlay packet via an overlay tunnel.

Quality of service (QoS) for multi-tenant-aware overlay virtual networks

In an embodiment, a network adapter receives a request from a first virtual switch of an overlay network to transmit a multi-destination packet to each of one or more virtual switches of the overlay network identified in a list stored in the network adapter. For each of the one or more virtual switches identified in the list, the network adapter creates a head-end replication of the multi-destination packet, obtains tunneling endpoint information for the identified virtual switch, encapsulates the created head-end replication of the multi-destination packet with a header specific to a tunneling protocol identified in the obtained tunneling endpoint information, and transmits the encapsulated packet to a receiver hosted on the identified virtual switch.

A method includes receiving tunnel information and end point information in response to a request to a distributed cluster. A common tunnel type supported by a source switch and a destination switch is selected. A packet is encapsulated with the common tunnel type supported by the source switch and the destination switch for a destination virtual machine (VM).

Interoperability for distributed overlay virtual environment

In one embodiment, a method provides for hosting, by a first virtual switch of an overlay virtual network, a multi-destination receiver for a multi-destination group. The first virtual switch receives, from a second virtual switch hosting a multi-destination sender for the multi-destination group, a single copy of a multi-destination packet, wherein the first virtual switch is represented by a node of a plurality of nodes in a tree created by a network controller, and wherein each of the nodes represents a virtual switch that has registered a multi-destination receiver with the network controller. The first virtual switch forwards the received multi-destination packet to a third virtual switch hosting a multi-destination receiver for the multi-destination group, wherein the third virtual switch is represented in the tree by a child of the node.

Multi-destination packet handling at overlay virtual network tunneling endpoints

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving network traffic, determining whether packets have an overlay header, terminating a tunnel and de-encapsulating inner packets of packets having an overlay header, performing services on the inner packets in response to a determination that services are to be performed on the inner packets, originating a tunnel, encapsulating a first packet of the serviced inner packets with an overlay header, and switching the encapsulated serviced inner packets to a destination address in a virtual network in response to determining that the first packet is to be switched to the destination address in the virtual network, and switching a second packet of the serviced inner packets to a destination address in a non-virtual network without encapsulating the serviced inner packets with the overlay header in response to a determination that the second packet is to be switched to the destination address in the non-virtual network.

Providing services to virtual overlay network traffic

Methods and systems presented herein provide for self-routing multicast. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, using a switch controller, a multicast data stream join request from a source in a network, and creating, using the switch controller, a multipath identifier (ID) for a multicast data stream. Moreover, the method includes creating, using the switch controller, path identifiers (IDs) for intermediate switches in the network based on a local network topology database. Each path ID is associated with an output port bitmap. The method also includes transmitting, using the switch controller, the multipath ID and a path ID to a source of the multicast data stream, the path ID corresponding to the source of the multicast join request. Also, the multipath ID and the path ID are configured to allow the source of the multicast data stream to determine an output port mapping for a packet.

Self-routing multicast in a software defined network fabric

In one embodiment, a system includes a hardware processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor or media access control (MAC) functionality of a network port. The logic is configured to negotiate a credit aging duration during initialization of a link between a receiving endpoint and a sending endpoint, the receiving and sending endpoints being connected in a network fabric. The link includes at least one virtual link. The logic is also configured to receive an amount of available flow credits from the receiving endpoint and transmit one or more packets to the receiving endpoint. The amount of available flow credits are used to determine a capacity to process packets at the receiving endpoint. The exchange of flow credits is performed on a per virtual link basis. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are presented according to more embodiments.

Credit-based flow control in lossless Ethernet networks

Embodiments of the invention relate to providing acceleration for traffic migration for virtual machine (VM) migration in overlay networks. One embodiment includes a method that includes migrating of a VM from a first hypervisor to a second hypervisor. The first hypervisor detects incoming encapsulated traffic sent from a third hypervisor that is targeted for the VM. The first hypervisor indicates to a service of incorrect information in the incoming encapsulated traffic for the VM. The third hypervisor is notified with updated information for the VM.

Traffic migration acceleration for overlay virtual environments

In one embodiment, a system includes a server having a hypervisor layer that includes an overlay-configured virtual switch and a Fiber Channel (FC) virtual switch. The system also includes at least one processor configured to execute logic and a converge network adapter (CNA) coupled to the hypervisor layer. The CNA is configured to communicate with the overlay-configured virtual switch and the FC virtual switch, and with a FC forwarder (FCF). Moreover, the overlay-configured virtual switch includes logic configured to communicate with a central controller. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving a block of media access control (MAC) addresses for use in local fabric initialization protocol (FIP) operations and advertising to all local Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) initiators to route FCoE traffic to a FC virtual switch by asserting an overlay-configured virtual switch as a FCF for any requesting FCoE initiators.

Overlay network capable of supporting storage area network (SAN) traffic

In one embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code including computer readable program code configured to initialize an internal look-up table cache provided internally to a switching processor, the internal look-up table cache being configured to store a plurality of look-up entries and being organized into at least three segments: a persistent flows entries segment, a non-persistent flows entries segment, and an access control list (ACL) segment. Each look-up entry relates to a traffic flow which has been or is anticipated to be received by a switching processor configured to access the internal look-up table cache. The computer readable program code is also configured to manage the internal look-up table cache to store entries relating to a particular segment type into a corresponding segment of the internal look-up table cache.

Caching of look-up rules based on flow heuristics to enable high speed look-up

A method includes forwarding a request to a distributed overlay virtual Ethernet (DOVE) connectivity service (DCS) cluster for tunnel information by a source switch. In response to the request for tunnel information, the tunnel information and end point information are received. A common tunnel type supported by the source switch and a destination switch is selected. A packet is encapsulated with the common tunnel type supported by the source switch and the destination switch for a destination virtual machine (VM).

In one embodiment, a system includes a server having a hypervisor layer that includes an overlay-capable virtual switch and a Fiber Channel (FC) virtual switch; at least one processor configured to execute logic; and a converge network adapter (CNA) coupled to the hypervisor, the CNA being configured to communicate with the overlay-capable virtual switch and the FC virtual switch, wherein the CNA is configured to communicate with a FC forwarder (FCF), and the overlay-capable virtual switch includes logic configured to communicate with a central controller. In another embodiment, a method for sending FCoE traffic over an overlay network includes receiving a block of media access control (MAC) addresses for use in local fabric initialization protocol (FIP) operations and advertising to all local FCoE initiators to route FCoE traffic to a server by asserting an overlay-capable virtual switch within the server as a FCF for any requesting FCoE initiators.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Bhalachandra G Banavalikar