Nicira, Inc.

Vmware, Inc.

Yusheng Wang

Donghai Han

Jianjun Shen

Hua Wang

Xin Wang

Raju Koganty

Chidambareswaran Raman

Akhila Naveen

Pankaj Thakkar

Ziyou Wang

Danting Liu

Miao Yan

Bolt Zhang

Quan Tian

Ming Shu

Dousheng Zhao

Wang Qiong

Guofeng Zhu

Some embodiments provide a method for a network controller that manages multiple logical networks implemented by multiple managed forwarding elements (MFEs) operating on multiple host machines. The method receives a notification from a particular MFE that an interface corresponding to a logical port of a logical forwarding element has connected to the particular MFE and has a particular logical network address. The method assigns a unique physical network address to the interface. Each of multiple interfaces connected to the particular MFE is assigned a different physical network address. The method provides the assigned unique physical network address to the particular MFE for the particular MFE to convert data messages sent from the particular logical network address to have the unique physical network address.

Assignment of unique physical network addresses for logical network addresses

Example methods and systems for packet handling in a software-defined networking (SDN) environment are disclosed. One example method may comprise detecting an egress application-layer message from a first logical endpoint supported by a first host; and identifying a second logical endpoint supported by the second host for which the egress application-layer message is destined. The method may also comprise generating an egress packet that includes the egress application-layer message and metadata associated with the second logical endpoint, but omits one or more headers that are addressed from the first logical endpoint to the second logical endpoint. The method may further comprise sending the egress packet to the second host to cause the second host to identify the second logical endpoint based on the metadata, and to send the egress application-layer message to the second logical endpoint.

Packet handling in software-defined net working (SDN) environments

Some embodiments provide a method for diagnosing a logical network that includes several logical forwarding elements (LFEs) that logically connects a number of data compute nodes (DCNs) to each other. The method identifies a set of LFEs that logically connects a first DCN of the several DCNs to a second DCN. The method also identifies a transport node that couples to the first DCN and implements the set of LFEs. The method then, for each LFE in the set of LFEs (i) receives a first state of the LFE from the transport node, (ii) compares the first state of the LFE with a second state of the LFE that is received from a controller of the LFE, and (iii) reports the LFE as a problematic LFE along with the transport node and the controller of the LFE when the first and second states of the LFE do not match.

Method and tool for diagnosing logical networks

Example methods are provided for a host to perform zero-copy packet transmission. On example method may comprise allocating a transmit (TX) packet buffer to a first virtualized computing instance and a receive (RX) packet buffer to a second virtualized computing instance, wherein the TX packet buffer and the RX packet buffer are both mapped to a shared memory location associated with the host. The method may also comprise: accessing, by the first virtualized computing instance, the TX packet buffer to store a packet in the shared memory location; processing, by the forwarding element, the packet in the shared memory location; and accessing, by the second virtualized computing instance, the RX packet buffer to receive the packet stored in the shared memory location.

Zero-copy packet transmission between virtualized computing instances

A novel centralized troubleshooting tool that enables user to troubleshoot a distributed virtual network with a single consistent user interface is provided. The distributed virtual network being monitored or debugged by the centralized troubleshooting tool includes different types of logical resources (LRs) that placed or distributed across different physical endpoints (PEs). The centralized troubleshooting tool provides functions that allow the user to invoke commands on different physical endpoints in order to collect information about the logical resources running in those physical endpoints. This allows the user to compare and analyze the information from different PEs for a same LR.

Centralized troubleshooting tool in distributed virtual network

Some embodiments provide a method, that receives a packet having a first logical network address as a source address and a second logical network address as a destination network address. The method replaces the first and second logical network addresses with corresponding first and second physical network addresses. The method transmits the packet having the first and second physical network addresses as source and destination network addresses without encapsulation to a physical network for delivery to the second logical network address.

Replacement of logical network addresses with physical network addresses

A method for a node to become a member of a cluster includes, when the node is in an initialization state, refraining from starting any service for the cluster, rejecting any reconfiguration request from a coordinator of the cluster, and determining if a local copy of a member list is out-of-date. When the local member list is up-to-date, the method includes advancing to an observer state or a participant state depending on if the node is in the member list. When the local copy of the member list is out-of-date, the method includes waiting to receive the member list, updating the local member list to be equal to the member list, persisting the local member list, recording the local member list as up-to-date, and advancing to an observer state or a participant state depending if the node is in the member list.

Node in cluster membership management protocol

Example methods are provided for packet handling based on virtual network configuration information in a software-defined networking (SDN) environment. An example comprises a first host obtaining virtual network configuration information that specifies a first virtual object identifier (ID) and a first address associated with a first virtualized computing instance, and a second virtual object ID and a second address associated with a second virtualized computing instance. In response to detecting an egress packet with an inner header that is addressed from the first address to the second address, the first host may generate an encapsulated packet by encapsulating the egress packet with an outer header that specifies the second virtual object ID; and send the encapsulated packet to the second host to cause the second host to decapsulate the outer header and, based on the second virtual object ID, send the egress packet to the second virtualized computing instance.

Packet handling based on virtual network configuration information in software-defined networking (SDN) environments

A method inserts a request message in a first encapsulation header that encapsulates a first packet from a data compute node of a first host to form a first encapsulated packet. The first encapsulation header identifies a first address of a first tunnel endpoint in the first host and a second address of a second tunnel endpoint in the second host. The method then sends the first encapsulated packet through a tunnel via the first address of the first tunnel endpoint to the second address of the second tunnel endpoint. If a second encapsulated packet is received at the first tunnel endpoint in the first host from the second tunnel endpoint in the second host and includes a response message, the method records information for the tunnel based on the sending of the request message and the receiving of the response message.

Tunnel state detection for overlay networks

A method is provided for a coordinator to manage cluster membership. In a stable state, the coordinator provides a member list to all the nodes in a node list. The member list includes nodes that are cluster members. The node list includes nodes that are or wish to be members of the cluster. When the node list differs from the member list, the coordinator advances to a reconfiguration state to change the membership of the cluster. In the reconfiguration state, the coordinator sends a reconfiguration request to all the nodes in the node list. When reconfiguration acknowledgements are received from all the nodes within a timeout period, the coordinator updates the member list to be equal to the node list, persists the updated member list, sends a reconfiguration confirmation including the updated member list to all the nodes in the node list, and returns to the stable state.

Coordinator in cluster membership management protocol

A method is provided to diagnose one or more malfunctions in a virtual network having a network functionality implemented in a distributed manner by hypervisors, each performing part of the network functionality. The method includes receiving user input of observed facts about the virtual network, where the observed facts include identifiers of virtual components in the virtual network, and adding the observed facts to a knowledge base. The method further includes, in response to the identifiers of the virtual components, querying agents on the hypervisors for collected facts related to the virtual components, receiving and adding the collected facts to the knowledge base, and applying logic rules to the knowledge base to produce one or more diagnoses of the virtual network.

Growing community of inventors

Beijing, China

Yusheng Wang