Ciena Corporation

Rockstar Bidco, LP

Denis Fluet

Ian Hamish Duncan

Michael Alain Gazier

Stephen Kieran Adolph

James Andrew Frodsham

Bruno Germain

Ian Harris

A method and apparatus facilitates an enterprise to lease virtual appliances from network services provider. The method operates by deploying a converged networking and computing device at a service location, downloading a virtual network function to the converged networking and computing device, activating the virtual network function by a service in the wide area network, and connecting the virtual network function to a provisioned network path over the wide area network. Different virtual network functions can be deployed to different locations. The same virtual network function scan be deployed to different locations. Moreover, more than one virtual network function may be deployed to more than one service location. The virtual network functions can be realized through virtual machines, software containers, etc.

Method and apparatus for provisioning virtual network functions from a network service provider

A method and apparatus facilitates an enterprise to lease virtual appliances from network services provider. The method operates by deploying a converged networking and computing device at a service location, downloading a virtual machine to the converged networking and computing device, activating the virtual machine by a service in the wide area network, and connecting the virtual machine to a provisioned network path over the wide area network. Different virtual machines can be deployed to different locations. The same virtual machine can be deployed to different locations. Moreover, more than one virtual machine may be deployed to more than one service location.

Method and apparatus for provisioning a virtual machine (VM) from a network service provider

The invention is directed to the use of Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB) technology with Shortest Path Bridging, also called Provider Link State Bridging (PLSB) technology in the context of data centers and virtualized physical servers infrastructures. Virtual servers can be located anywhere inside the data center, or across different data centers, and still act as though they are physically adjacent and share the same Ethernet connectivity. Ethernet virtual machine VLan memberships are mapped to PBB Service Identifiers (I-SIDs). PBB I-SIDs extend the connectivity model to every Ethernet switches in the local, metropolitan or wide area networks. PLSB complements the connectivity by providing dynamic distribution and mapping of I-SID endpoints in the PBB domain. Virtual servers can then be added, removed or transferred to another point in the network and PLSB adjusts the VLan/I-SID specific connectivity pattern to match the physical distribution of the servers.

Dynamic networking of virtual machines

Growing community of inventors

Longueuil, Canada

Denis Fluet