Nicira, Inc.

Vmware, Inc.

Pankaj Thakkar

Teemu Koponen

Martin Casado

Ronghua Zhang

Anupam Chanda

W Andrew Lambeth

Jianjun Shen

Igor Ganichev

Ganesan Chandrashekhar

Amar Padmanabhan

Donghai Han

Hua Wang

Da Wan

Alexander Tessmer

Daniel J Wendlandt

Mukesh Hira

Alexander Yip

Amre Shakimov

Caixia Jiang

Su Wang

Ethan J Jackson

Ziyou Wang

Peter J Balland, Iii

Ansis Atteka

Mo Dong

Jayant Jain

Anirban Sengupta

Benjamin C Basler

Paul Ingram

Bryan J Fulton

Aayush Saxena

Keith Eric Amidon

Qi Wu

Feng Pan

Jeremy Stribling

Anuprem Chalvadi

James Joseph Stabile

Srinivas Neginhal

Pavlush Margarian

Mengdie Song

Alan Shieh

Frank Pan

Vicky Liu

Boon Seong Ang

Bruce Davie

Qiong Wang

Natasha Gude

Benjamin L Pfaff

Jesse Ernest Gross, Iv

Yusheng Wang

Paul Fazzone

Juntao Gao

Yuanhui Wang

Gleb Dubovik

Tao Ma

Vivek Agarwal

Wen Liu

Mallik Mahalingam

Abhishek Goliya

Justin Pettit

Sachin Mohan Vaidya

Amarnath Palavalli

Yang Ping

Harold Vinson C Lim

Mehak Mahajan

Nilesh Ramchandra Nipane

Feng Gu

Haoran Chen

Soner Sevinc

Aravinda Kidambi Srinivasan

Bhagyashree Gujar

Ujwala Kawalay

HsinYi Shen

Xuan Zou

Sarvani Vakkalanka

Joseph A Garcia

Janani Natarajan

Mart Haitjema

Described herein are systems, methods, and software to enhance network traffic management. In one implementation, a first host identifies a packet to be transferred from a first virtual machine on the first host to a second virtual machine on a second host. In response to identifying the packet, the first host identifies a source logical port for the first virtual machine, and transferring a communication to the second host, wherein the communication encapsulates the data packet and the source logical port. Once the packet is received by the second host, the second host may use the source logical port to determine a forwarding action for the packet.

Managing network traffic in virtual switches based on logical port identifiers

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for dynamically exchanging runtime state data between datacenters with a gateway using a controller bridge is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method comprises: receiving one or more first runtime state data from one or more logical sharding central control planes ('CCPs') controlling one or more logical sharding hosts; receiving one or more second runtime state data from a gateway that is controlled by a CCP that also controls one or more physical sharding hosts; aggregating to aggregated runtime state data, the one or more first runtime state data received from the one or more logical sharding CCPs and the one or more second runtime state data received from the gateway; determining updated runtime state data based on the aggregated runtime state data, the one or more first runtime state data, and the one or more second runtime state data; and transmitting the updated runtime state data to at least one of the one or more logical sharding CCPs and the gateway.

Exchanging runtime state information between datacenters with a gateway using a controller bridge

Some embodiments provide a system that includes a set of network controllers for receiving definitions of first and second logical switching elements. The system includes several managed switching elements. The set of network controllers configure the several managed switching elements to implement the defined first and second logical switching elements. The system includes several network hosts that are each (1) communicatively coupled to one of the several managed switching elements and (2) associated with one of the first and second logical switching elements. Network data communicated between network hosts associated with the first logical switching element are isolated from network data communicated between network hosts associated with the second logical switching element.

Managed switch architectures: software managed switches, hardware managed switches, and heterogeneous managed switches

Some embodiments provide a system for implementing a logical network that includes a set of end machines, a first logical middlebox, and a second logical middlebox connected by a set of logical forwarding elements. The system includes a set of nodes. Each of several nodes includes (i) a virtual machine for implementing an end machine of the logical network, (ii) a managed switching element for implementing the set of logical forwarding elements of the logical network, and (iii) a middlebox element for implementing the first logical middlebox of the logical network. The system includes a physical middlebox appliance for implementing the second logical middlebox.

Architecture of networks with middleboxes

A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program that configures managed forwarding elements to establish tunnels between the managed forwarding elements is described. From a particular managed forwarding element, the program receives information regarding coupling of a network element to the first managed forwarding element. Upon receiving the information, the program generates a set of universal flow entries for configuring another managed forwarding element to establish a tunnel to the particular managed forwarding element.

Chassis controller

Some embodiments provide a method for configuring a logical middlebox in a hosting system that includes a set of nodes. The logical middlebox is part of a logical network that includes a set of logical forwarding elements that connect a set of end machines. The method receives a set of configuration data for the logical middlebox. The method uses a stored set of tables describing physical locations of the end machines to identify a set of nodes at which to implement the logical middlebox. The method provides the logical middlebox configuration for distribution to the identified nodes.

Network control system for configuring middleboxes

Some embodiments provide a method for a managed forwarding element (MFE). At the MFE, the method receives a first packet from a particular tunnel endpoint. The first packet originates from a particular data compute node associated with multiple tunnel endpoints including the particular tunnel endpoint. Based on the first packet, the method stores an association of the particular tunnel endpoint with the particular data compute node. The method uses the stored association to encapsulate subsequent packets received at the MFE and having the particular data compute node as a destination address with the particular tunnel endpoint as a destination tunnel endpoint.

Learning of tunnel endpoint selections

For a network control system that receives, from a user, logical datapath sets that logically express desired forwarding behaviors that are to be implemented by a set of managed switching elements, a controller for managing several managed switching elements that forward data in a network that includes the managed switching elements is described. The controller includes a set of modules for detecting a change in one or more managed switching elements and for updating logical datapath set based on the detected change. The logical datapath set is for subsequent translation into a set of physical forwarding behaviors of the managed switching elements.

Network control apparatus and method for populating logical datapath sets

Some embodiments provide a network management system for managing a logical network that spans multiple physical sites. The network management system includes a global network manager for receiving global logical network configuration data for the multiple physical sites. The network management system includes, at each of the physical sites, (i) a local network manager for receiving a logical network configuration for the physical site from the global network manager and (ii) a set of central controllers for distributing logical network configuration data to computing devices that implement the logical network at the physical site.

Network management system for federated multi-site logical network

A network system that includes a first set of network hosts in a first domain and a second set of network hosts in a second domain. Within each of the domains, the system includes several edge switching elements (SEs) that each couple to the network hosts and forward network data to and from the set of network hosts. Within the first domain, the system includes (i) an interior SE that couples to a particular edge SE in order to receive network data for forwarding from the edge SE when the edge SE does not recognize a destination location of the network data and (ii) an interconnection SE that couples to the interior SE, the edge SE, and the second domain through an external network. When the edge SE receives network data with a destination address in the second domain, it forwards the network data directly to the interconnection SE.

Flow generation from second level controller to first level controller to managed switching element

Some embodiments provide a method for distributing a service rule that is to be enforced across a first set of sites and that is defined by reference to a group identifier that identifies a group of machines. The method distributes the service rule to each site in the first set of sites. The method identifies at least one site in the first set of sites that is not in a second set of sites that has already received a definition of the group. The method distributes the group definition to each identified site in the first set of sites that has not already received the definition of the group.

Multi-site security groups

Some embodiments of the invention provide a a method of processing packets associated with a logical switching element implemented by multiple physical switching elements executing on multiple host computers on which multiple machines execute. At a first physical switching element of a first host computer, the method receives a packet from a first machine associated with the logical switching element. For the packet, the method identifies a logical ingress port of the logical switch that is associated with the packet. For the packet, the method also uses the logical ingress port to identify a logical egress port of the logical switch that is associated with the packet. For the packet, the method also uses the logical egress port to identify a physical egress port of the first host computer to use to send the packet along to a second machine associated with the logical egress port. From the identified physical egress port, the method forwards the packet with an encapsulating header that stores the logical egress port.

For a managed network including multiple host machines implementing multiple logical networks, some embodiments provide a method that reduces the memory and traffic load required to implement the multiple logical networks. The method generates configuration data for each of multiple host machines including (i) data to configure a host machine to implement a set of logical forwarding elements that belong to a set of routing domains and (ii) identifiers for each routing domain in the set of routing domains. The method then receives data regarding tunnels endpoints operating on each of the host machines and an association with the routing identifiers sent to the host machines. The method then generates a routing domain tunnel endpoint list for each routing domain based on the data received from each of the host machines including a list of the tunnel endpoints associated with the routing domain which the host machines can use to facilitate packet processing.

Defining routing domain for distributed packet processing

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Pankaj Thakkar