Cisco Technology, Inc.

Venkataraman Natham

Ali Golshan

Pagalavan Krishnamoorthy

Ramesh M Santhanakrishnan

Rajagopalan Janakiraman

Sridhar Subramanian

Pags Krishnamoorthy

Samar Sharma

Chao Feng

Daniel Gilbert Moen

Devendra Mohan Badhani

Techniques are provided for implementing clustering services in a virtual data center or other virtualized infrastructure in a manner that allows packets to be directed to a particular service engine of a service engine cluster.

Directing data flows in data centers with clustering services

The methods and devices discussed herein provide service clustering within a TRILL network without relying on an additional service insertion framework. A TRILL network can include one or more flow distribution RBridges for distributing flows to service nodes. Each flow distribution RBridge can have a virtual base identifier and one or more virtual cluster identifiers. An example method can include maintaining service cluster load balancing structures and receiving a packet that is encapsulated with an inner header and an outer header. The method can include determining whether the egress RBridge identifier is a virtual cluster identifier, and if so, selecting a service node from one of the service cluster load balancing structures. The method can include forwarding the packet to the selected service node.

Methods and devices for providing service insertion in a TRILL network

An example method is provided and includes configuring a service appliance to offload network control plane and network data plane operations to a switch; establishing a communication channel between the service appliance and the switch; and communicating control messages between the service appliance and the switch over the communication channel. In more particular embodiment, the method can include communicating data messages between the service appliance and the switch over the communication channel.

System and method for configuring service appliances as virtual line cards in a network environment

A system for virtual internet protocol (VIP) address migration. The system comprises serving one or more clients connected via a switch router over a network to one or more network gateways. The switch router forwards packets to the VIP address of a first network gateway. If the first network gateway determines a VIP address migration criteria has been reached, the first network gateway may migrate any new traffic associated with a packet flow over to a second network gateway for more efficient processing by inserting a default flow code into the header of the VIP address of the packet. Older packets continue to process on the first network gateway, however new packets are forwarded and processed on the second network gateway. Once the packets being processed on the first network gateway completes, the second network gateway becomes the default network gateway for processing existing and new packets.

Virtual internet protocol migration and load balancing

The methods and devices discussed herein provide service clustering within a TRILL network without relying on an additional service insertion framework. A TRILL network can include one or more flow distribution RBridges for distributing flows to service nodes. Each flow distribution RBridge can have a virtual base identifier and one or more virtual cluster identifiers. An example method can include maintaining N service cluster load balancing structures and receiving a packet that is encapsulated with an inner header (source/destination addresses) and an outer header (ingress/egress RBridge identifiers). The method can include determining whether the egress RBridge identifier is a virtual cluster identifier, and if so, applying a hash function to a predetermined flow tuple and selecting a service node associated with the hash value from one of the N service cluster load balancing structures. The method can include forwarding the packet to the selected service node.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Venkataraman Natham