International Business Machines Corporation

Jin Ming Shang

Jing He

Yun Feng Sun

Denghui Huang

Jing Lu

Jun Yao

The present invention discloses an overlay switch (OSW) and a method used by the same. A received unicast packet needs to pass a waypoint chain including a number of waypoints. A network address of a first waypoint of the waypoint chain and an underlay network address of a second OSW connected to the first waypoint are obtained. In response to a determination that the second OSW is not the first OSW the unicast packet is encapsulated into a first underlay network packet according to a specification of an overlay network. A field of a destination header of the first underlay network packet includes the underlay network address of the second OSW. A source port field of a user datagram protocol (UDP) header is set to indicate a waypoint index included in a corresponding waypoint chain. The first underlay network packet is sent to the second OSW.

Overlay switch

The present invention discloses an overlay switch (OSW) and a method used by the same. A received unicast packet needs to pass a waypoint chain including a number of waypoints. A network address of a first waypoint of the waypoint chain and an underlay network address of a second OSW connected to the first waypoint are obtained. In response to a determination that the second OSW is not the first OSW the unicast packet is encapsulated into a first underlay network packet according to a specification of an overlay network. A field of a destination header of the first underlay network packet includes the underlay network address of the second OSW. The first underlay network packet is sent to the second OSW.

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: locating, by one or more processor, at least one virtual machine within a virtual network, wherein gratuitous address resolution functionality of the at least one virtual machine is inactive; and providing, by the one or more processor, location information of the at least one virtual machine. In one embodiment, the locating comprises: receiving an IP address of the at least one virtual machine; and selecting a virtual machine hosting network device from a computing network node table, where the computing network node table comprises at least one network connection record of the silent virtual machine network device hosting a silent virtual machine having a known MAC address and an unknown IP address; and querying the silent virtual machine network device for a MAC address corresponding to the IP address of the at least one virtual machine.

Growing community of inventors

Wuxi, China

Jin Ming Shang