# US 11,115,506 B2 · Inner VXLAN tunnel packet detection

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- Number: US 11,115,506 B2
- Document ID: US11115506B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/591,448
- Filed: 2019-10-02
- Published: 2021-04-08
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-10-02
- Assignees: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
- Applicants: LENOVO Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) PTE. LTD.
- Inventors: Radu Iorga; Corneliu-Ilie Calciu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115506B2

## CPC

- H04L 69/22: Parsing or analysis of headers
- H04L 12/4633: {Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling}
- H04L 12/4641: {Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272)}
- H04L 45/66: {Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's}
- H04L 69/16: Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
- H04L 69/324: in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
- H04L 2012/4629: {using multilayer switching, e.g. layer 3 switching}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

An apparatus for writing an L2 frame type in a VXLAN header includes a VXLAN stripper configured to strip encapsulation headers in layers above a VXLAN packet encapsulating a L2 frame of a data packet in response to receiving the data packet over a VXLAN. The apparatus includes a L2 frame type reader configured to read a L2 frame type stored in the VXLAN header in response to stripping the encapsulation headers, and a VXLAN re-encapsulator configured to re-encapsulate the VXLAN packet in a same format as the layers and associated encapsulation headers stripped from the received data packet in response to the L2 frame type indicating the L2 frame comprises data for transmission.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus comprising:
a virtual extensible local area network (“VXLAN”) stripper, at an intermediate network device, configured to strip encapsulation headers in layers above a VXLAN packet encapsulating a Layer 2 (“L2”) frame of a data packet in response to receiving the data packet over a VXLAN, the intermediate network device located on a data pathway between VXLAN tunneling endpoints;
a L2 frame type reader, at the intermediate network device, configured to read a L2 frame type stored in a VXLAN header in the VXLAN packet to determine if the L2 frame type is a data protocol or a command protocol, in response to the VXLAN stripper stripping the encapsulation headers; and
a VXLAN re-encapsulator, at the intermediate network device, configured to re-encapsulate the VXLAN packet in a same format as the layers and associated encapsulation headers stripped from the received data packet in response to the L2 frame type, read by the L2 frame type reader, being a data protocol indicating the L2 frame comprises data for transmission.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a command circuit configured to:
strip the VXLAN header from the VXLAN packet in response to the L2 frame type comprising a command protocol; and
execute a command encoded in the L2 frame.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data packet is encapsulated using media access control address-in-user datagram protocol (“MAC-in-UDP”) encapsulation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data packet comprises:
a VXLAN packet comprising the VXLAN header and encapsulating the L2 frame;
a user datagram protocol (“UDP”) packet comprising a UDP header and encapsulating the VXLAN packet; and
an outer Internet Protocol (“IP”) packet comprising an outer IP header and encapsulating the UPD packet,
wherein the data packet comprises an outer media access control (“MAC”) header and the data packet encapsulates the outer IP packet.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the L2 frame type reader reads the L2 frame type while the VXLAN packet is intact.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the VXLAN header comprises the L2 frame type stored in the VXLAN header in addition to a VXLAN identifier (“VNID”) and a VXLAN flag field.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the L2 frame type is stored in the VXLAN header at a VXLAN tunnel end point (“VTEP”) that encapsulates the L2 frame into the data packet and transmits the data packet.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the VTEP comprises:
a L2 frame type reader configured to determine the type of the L2 frame prior to encapsulation of the L2 frame in the VXLAN packet; and
a VXLAN header writer configured to write the determined L2 frame type in the VXLAN header of the VXLAN packet.

### Claim 9

A method comprising:
stripping, at an intermediate network device, encapsulation headers in layers above a virtual extensible local area network (“VXLAN”) packet encapsulating a Layer 2 (“L2”) frame of a data packet in response to receiving the data packet over a VXLAN, the intermediate network device located on a data pathway between VXLAN tunneling endpoints;
reading, at the intermediate network device, a L2 frame type stored in a VXLAN header in the VXLAN packet to determine if the L2 frame type is a data protocol or a command protocol, in response to stripping the encapsulation headers; and
re-encapsulating, at the intermediate network device, the VXLAN packet in a same format as the layers and associated encapsulation headers stripped from the received data packet in response to the L2 frame type being a data protocol indicating the L2 frame comprises data for transmission.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
stripping the VXLAN header from the VXLAN packet in response to the L2 frame type comprising a command protocol; and
executing a command encoded in the L2 frame.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein reading a L2 frame type comprises reading the L2 frame type while the VXLAN packet is intact.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the data packet comprises:
a VXLAN packet comprising the VXLAN header and encapsulating the L2 frame;
a UDP packet comprising a UDP header and encapsulating the VXLAN packet; and
an outer Internet Protocol (“IP”) packet comprising an outer IP header and encapsulating the UPD packet,
wherein the data packet comprises an outer MAC header and the data packet encapsulates the outer IP packet.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the VXLAN header comprises the L2 frame type stored in the VXLAN header in addition to a VXLAN identifier (“VNID”) and a VXLAN flag field.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the L2 frame type is stored in the VXLAN header at a VXLAN tunnel end point (“VTEP”) that encapsulates the L2 frame into the data packet and transmits the data packet.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the data packet is encapsulated using media access control address-in-user datagram protocol (“MAC-in-UDP”) encapsulation.

### Claim 16

An apparatus comprising:
a Layer 2 (“L2”) frame type reader configured to determine a type of a L2 frame prior to encapsulation of the L2 frame in a virtual extensible local area network (“VXLAN”) packet;
a VXLAN encapsulator configured to encapsulate the L2 frame into a VXLAN packet, the VXLAN packet comprising a VXLAN header and the L2 frame;
a L2 frame type header writer configured to write the determined L2 frame type in the VXLAN header of the VXLAN packet, the L2 frame type comprising one of a data protocol and a command protocol, the data protocol indicating that the L2 frame comprises data for transmission and the command protocol indicating that the L2 frame comprises a command for execution;
a data packet encapsulator configured to encapsulate the VXLAN packet with additional layers to form a data packet suitable for transmission; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the data packet in response to the data packet encapsulator forming the data packet.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:
a VXLAN stripper, at an intermediate network device, configured to strip encapsulation headers in the layers above the VXLAN packet in response to receiving the data packet over a VXLAN, the intermediate network device located on a data pathway between a VXLAN tunneling endpoint transmitting the data packet and a VXLAN tunneling endpoint receiving the data packet;
a L2 frame type reader, at the intermediate network device, configured to read a L2 frame type stored in the VXLAN header in response to stripping the encapsulation headers;
a command circuit, at the intermediate network device, configured to:
strip the VXLAN header from the VXLAN packet in response to the L2 frame type comprising a command protocol; and
execute a command encoded in the L2 frame; and
a VXLAN re-encapsulator, at the intermediate network device, configured to re-encapsulate the VXLAN packet in a same format as the layers and associated encapsulation headers stripped from the received data packet in response to the L2 frame type indicating the L2 frame comprises data for transmission.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the data packet is encapsulated using media access control address-in-user datagram protocol (“MAC-in-UDP”) encapsulation and wherein the VXLAN header comprises the L2 frame type stored in the VXLAN header in addition to a VXLAN identifier (“VNID”) and a VXLAN flag field.