Juniper Networks, Inc.

Zi Zhou

Mu Lin

David Delano Ward

Sriram Raghunathan

Hui Qu

Joel Abraham Obstfeld

Shine-Chu Wang

Yanfang Zhang

Heng-Hui Debbie Chu

Leyi Zhang

Techniques are described for separating control plane functions in a network device using virtual machines. The techniques include initializing multiple virtual machine instances in a control unit of a standalone router, and running different control processes for the router in each of the virtual machines. For example, in a root system domain (RSD)-protected system domain (PSD) system, a control unit of the standalone router may support a RSD virtual machine (VM) and one or more PSD VMs configured to form logical devices and execute logically separate control processes without requiring physically separate, hardware-independent routing engines to form the PSDs. Each of the RSD VM and PSD VMs includes a separate kernel, an operating system, and control processes for the logical device. When a software failure occurs in the PSD VM, the PSD VM may perform a software failover without affecting the operation of the RSD VM.

Separation of control plane functions using virtual machines in network device

Techniques are described for providing high availability for a network device, e.g., a router, using full memory replication between a primary virtual machine (VM) and a standby VM running on the network device. In one example, the techniques provide hot-standby high availability for a router by initializing a primary VM and a standby VM on the router at the same time. In another example, the techniques provide high availability for the router by initializing a standby VM on the router upon detecting a failure of the primary VM. In both examples, the primary VM controls the routing functionality and periodically stores a full memory state. Upon a failure of the primary VM, a hypervisor may perform a full memory replication between the primary VM and the standby VM. The standby VM may then take control of the routing functionality at the last stored state of the memory.

High availability using full memory replication between virtual machine instances on a network device

The control plane of a network device comprises a plurality of software processes that manage routing control operations of the device. Through a hypervisor in the control plane, a managing virtual machine controls access to a first virtual machine running a first software system to control a routing communication session between the network device and other network devices. In response to an in-service software upgrade request, the managing virtual machine initializes a second virtual machine. On the second virtual machine, the second software system is loaded. State data maintained by the managing virtual machine can be transferred to the second virtual machine, and the second virtual machine takes control of the routing communication session. During the transfer of control from the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, techniques of 'non-stop forwarding' and 'graceful restart' can be implemented to minimize the effect the switchover has on the network.

Configuration update on virtual control plane

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Zi Zhou