Vmware, Inc.

Nicira, Inc.

Bruce Davie

Teemu Koponen

Martin Casado

Anupam Chanda

W Andrew Lambeth

Justin Pettit

Some embodiments provide a forwarding element that detects and handles elephant flows. In detecting, the forwarding element of some embodiments monitors statistics or measurements relating to a data flow. In handling, the forwarding element marks each packet associated with a detected elephant flow in some manner to differentiate it from a packet associated with a mouse flow. Alternatively, the forwarding element of break elephant flows into a number mouse flow by facilitating in sending packets associated with the detected elephant flow along different paths.

Detecting and handling large flows

A managed hardware forwarding element (MHFE) that performs packet forwarding operations for a logical network is described. The MHFE receives configuration data for the logical network that defines a logical router and a set of logical switches for logically connecting several end machines that operate on different host machines to several physical machines that are connected to the MHFE. The logical router also includes multiple routing components. The MHFE also receives a first forwarding table and a second forwarding table. The first forwarding table stores linking data for each logical port of each logical switch in the set of logical switches that identifies a corresponding routing component in the logical router. The second forwarding table stores a set of routes for each routing component of the logical router. The MHFE uses the first and second forwarding tables to perform packet forwarding operations at the MHFE.

Enabling hardware switches to perform logical routing functionalities

Growing community of inventors

Melbourne, Australia

Bruce Davie