SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A TRANSLATOR SUPPORTING MULTIPLE SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORK (SDN) APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACES (APIs)
AssigneeNetsia, Inc.
InventorsALI VOLKAN ATLI, ISMAIL BAYRAKTAR, CAN ALTAY, SEYHAN CIVANLAR, MAHIR GUNYEL, ERHAN LOKMAN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A programmable switch for use in a Software Defined Network (SDN) is disclosed that supports multiple open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) between the switch and various types of controllers, where each such API supports a different function set and possibly uses different IP protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
Claims20
A method as implemented in a network switch within a software defined network (SDN), the method comprising:
- (a) receiving, from a controller in the SDN, a request to attach and control the network switch over a specific SDN protocol type among one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch supporting the one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch having a switching component having an associated programming language, the network switch storing, for a given SDN protocol type:
- (1) an agent application, (2) an application programming interface (API), and (3) information in the agent application for communicating with the controller via the given SDN protocol type;
- (b) activating a specific agent application corresponding to the specific SDN protocol type specified by the request;
- (c) receiving one or more messages from the controller;
- (d) translating messages received in (c) using the activated specific agent application from the specific SDN protocol type to the programming language associated with the switching component of the network switch;
- and
- (e) programming the switching component according to translated messages in (d).
A network switch within a software defined network (SDN), the network switch comprising:
- at least one network interface card (NIC);
- a memory;
- a central processing unit (CPU) linked to the NIC and the memory, and
- wherein the network switch:
- (a) receiving, from a controller in the SDN, a request to attach and control the network switch over a specific SDN protocol type among one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch supporting the one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch having a switching component having an associated programming language, the network switch storing in the memory, for a given SDN protocol type:
- (1) an agent application, (2) an application programming interface (API), and (3) information in the agent application for communicating with the controller via the given SDN protocol type;
- (b) activating a specific agent application corresponding to the specific SDN protocol type specified by the request;
- (c) receiving one or more messages over the NIC from the controller;
- (d) translating messages received in (c) using the activated specific agent application from the specific SDN protocol type to the programming language associated with the switching component of the network switch;
- and (e) programming the switching component according to translated messages in (d).
An article of manufacture comprising non-transitory computer storage medium storing computer readable program code which, when executed by a processor implements a method as implemented in a network switch within a software defined network (SDN), the computer storage medium comprising:
- (a) computer readable program code receiving, from a controller in the SDN, a request to attach and control the network switch over a specific SDN protocol type among one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch supporting the one or more SDN protocol types, the network switch having a switching component having an associated programming language, the network switch storing, for a given SDN protocol type:
- (1) an agent application, (2) an application programming interface (API), and (3) information in the agent application for communicating with the controller via the given SDN protocol type;
- (b) computer readable program code activating a specific agent application corresponding to the specific SDN protocol type specified by the request;
- (c) computer readable program code receiving one or more messages from the controller;
- (d) computer readable program code translating messages received in
- (c) using the activated specific agent application from the specific SDN protocol type to the programming language associated with the switching component of the network switch;
- and
- (e) computer readable program code programming the switching component according to translated messages in (d).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.