International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Sushma Anantharam

Keshav G Kamble

Vijoy A Pandey

Dar-Ren Leu

Nandakumar Peethambaram

Nirapada Ghosh

Chandarani J Mendon

Amitabha Biswas

Dayavanti G Kamath

Harshad S Padhye

Nilanjan Mukherjee

Uday Shankar Nagaraj

Stephan Benny

Alexander Philip Campbell

Sisir Chowdhury

Pramodh Mallipatna

Ryan D Moats, Iii

Nilanjan Mukharjee

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for data replication in a networking system comprising multiple computing nodes. The method comprises maintaining a data set on at least two computing nodes of the system. The method further comprises receiving a data update request for the data set, wherein the data update request includes a data update for the data set. The data set on the at least two computing nodes is updated based on the data update request received.

Data replication for a virtual networking system

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for load balancing a networking system comprising multiple computing nodes. The method comprises maintaining one or more data sets on at least one computing node. The method further comprises receiving, from each computing node, a load information unit for the computing node, wherein the load information unit relates to resource usage on the computing node. For each computing node, the method determines whether the load information for the computing node exceeds a corresponding load threshold for the computing node. A data set on at least one computing node is transferred to another computing node when the load information for the at least one computing node exceeds a corresponding load threshold for the at least one computing node.

Load balancing for a virtual networking system

In a distributed network environment, a first virtual machine sends a first virtual machine control information to a first network system. The first network system sends a first control information to a first network control system in response to receiving the first virtual machine control information. The first network control system sends a portion of the first control information to a number of network systems. The first network control system sends a second control information to the first network system. The first virtual machine sends a first packet to the first network system which generates a unicast packet using a portion of the first packet and a portion of the second control information. A second network system receives and processes the unicast packet. The second network system sends a copy of the processed unicast packet to a second virtual machine associated with a second tenant.

Transporting multi-destination networking traffic by sending repetitive unicast

A distributed device architecture includes a master device and one or more member devices. A simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent of a master device receives an SNMP request from a managing device. Where the SNMP request pertains to a given member device, and where the SNMP request requires involvement of the given member device to fulfill the SNMP request, the master device generates a non-SNMP request corresponding to the SNMP request and transmits the non-SNMP request to the given member device. A non-SNMP agent of the given member device processes the non-SNMP request and transmits processing results back to the master device. The master device generates an SNMP response corresponding to the processing results, and the SNMP agent of the master device transmits the SNMP response back to the managing device.

SNMP request processing within distributed device architecture

In the context of a client sub-system that requires the use of directory services on behalf of a tenant (such as an overlay tenant), learning an identity of a server node, that can provide such directory services by: (i) sending, by the client sub-system to a first server node, a first directory service request for directory service for a first tenant; (ii) receiving, by the client sub-system, a first acknowledgement from a second server node; and (iii) learning, by the client sub-system, that the second server node can provide directory service for the first tenant based upon the first acknowledgement.

Directory service discovery and/or learning

In one embodiment, a system includes at least one processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the at least one processor, the logic being configured to receive, by the at least one processor, a request to assign a media access control (MAC) address to a device on a port, determine, by the at least one processor, the MAC address to assign to the device based at least partially on the port, and send, by the at least one processor, a response to the request with the MAC address. According to a further embodiment, the logic may be configured to create a MAC address allocation table that includes a plurality of hash values, each hash value being associated with one port and a plurality of MAC addresses, wherein the assigned MAC address is one of the MAC addresses associated with the port in the MAC address allocation table.

Layer 2 packet switching without look-up table for Ethernet switches

In one embodiment, a controller includes a processor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor, the logic being configured to receive a query from a network device for instruction regarding where to send network traffic, the query including a first cookie, determine whether the first cookie is legitimate, and send a message to the network device, the message including either: the first cookie in response to a determination that the first cookie is legitimate or a second cookie which indicates a second next hop device determined by the controller in response to a determination that the first cookie is not legitimate. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in more embodiments.

Support for high availability of service appliances in a software-defined network (SDN) service chaining infrastructure

A distributed system includes first-tier entities, and a master entity in communication with each first-tier entity. The master entity provides a single access point through which an administrator can submit commands to manage all entities. The master entity maintains a table of virtual slots. Each virtual slot points to one of the first-tier entities, and each first-tier entity is pointed to by at least one virtual slot. The processor runs an RPC (remote procedure call) client to submit RPC requests to the first-tier entities, and determines a destination first-tier entity for a given RPC request in response to which virtual slot the administrator submits a command. The distributed system can include second-tier entities, each indirectly communicating with the master entity through a first-tier entity. The table has a virtual slot for each second-tier entity, which points to the first-tier entity acting as proxy for the second-tier entity.

Remote procedure call for a distributed system

In a method for providing communication integrity within a distributed database computer system, a first node of a plurality of nodes transmits a change notification to a second node of the plurality of nodes. The change notification indicates that the first node has changed from a first version to a second version. The first node receives at least one change confirmation from the second node. The change confirmation confirms acknowledgment of the change notification by the second node and by a third node of the plurality of nodes. The first node updates a version table of the first node to show that the second node and the third node know that the first node has changed from the first version to the second version.

Mechanism for communication in a distributed database

Management and provisioning of networking traffic may be provided by bundling virtual channels into a group. A global policy may be applied to the bundle so that virtual ports providing services to a client may be managed by referring to the global policy of the bundle. The channels comprising the bundle may span multiple physical ports and in some cases, multiple physical switches. Thus, policy management may be avoided at the port level and instead, be handled as groups of channels implementing a client service.

Applying a client policy to a group of channels

In one embodiment, a method for assigning a media access control (MAC) address includes receiving a request from a device for a MAC address at a port of a switching device, determining a MAC address to assign to the device based at least partially on the port, and responding to the request with the MAC address. In another embodiment, a method for retrieving a media access control (MAC) address includes sending a request for a MAC address to a MAC allocation server (MAAS), waiting a predetermined amount of time to receive a response to the request, wherein the response comprises the MAC address, and using the MAC address when the response to the request is received within the predetermined amount of time. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are presented according to more embodiments.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Sushma Anantharam