Fully distributed routing over a user-configured on-demand virtual network for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) on hybrid cloud networks

An on-demand self-configured virtual network with a virtual router comprising:

• a central on-demand virtual network (VN) configuration server, for authenticating a subscriber in a plurality of subscribers, receiving a configuration request from a subscriber to add a virtual router between a first plurality of nodes in a first virtual network for the subscriber and a second plurality of nodes in a second virtual network;
• a VN configuration database storing virtual-network configurations for a plurality of virtual networks for the plurality of subscribers, including the first virtual network and the second virtual network;
• a virtual-network configuration process on the central on-demand VN configuration server, the virtual-network configuration process updating a virtual-network configuration for the subscriber in response to the configuration request;
• a VN configuration controller generating an updated virtual-network configuration when the VN configuration database is updated by the virtual-network configuration process, the VN configuration controller broadcasting the updated virtual-network configuration to a plurality of virtual-machine nodes in the first virtual network for the subscriber;
• a plurality of nodes in the first virtual network, the plurality of nodes including physical nodes and virtual-machine nodes located at multiple physical locations and connected to multiple physical local networks coupled together by an Internet;
• wherein each node in the first plurality of nodes in the first virtual network comprises:
• a virtual network management daemon that receives the updated virtual-network configuration broadcast by the VN configuration controller;
• a VN switch table storing network entries for all nodes in the first plurality of nodes on the first virtual network, the VN switch table storing virtual network addresses and physical network addresses;
• expanded entries in the VN switch table, the expanded entries for storing network entries for nodes in the second plurality of nodes on the second virtual network;
• wherein the virtual network management daemon adds the expanded entries to the VN switch table using the updated virtual-network configuration when the virtual router is configured;
• a network stack that receives data and a virtual network address from an application and generates a virtual frame from the data and the virtual network address;
• a network interface controller (NIC) that transmits a physical frame over a physical local-area network to a physical network address;
• and
• a VN device driver shim that intercepts the virtual frame from the network stack, searches the VN switch table for the virtual network address, generates a physical header with the physical network address generated using translation information from the VN switch table, and sends the physical frame to the NIC by attaching the physical header to the virtual frame,
• whereby subscribers configure their own virtual networks that span the multiple physical local networks and the Internet.

A virtual network Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider comprising:

• virtual-network configuration process means, activated by a subscriber, for configuring a virtual network for the subscriber;
• virtual network (VN) configuration database means for storing a plurality of virtual-network configurations for a plurality of subscribers, wherein the virtual-network configuration process means updates a virtual-network configuration in the VN configuration database means in response to the subscriber configuring the virtual network;
• VN configuration controller means for sending an updated virtual-network configuration to nodes on the virtual network;
• virtual router means for connecting the virtual network to a remote virtual network through a virtual router in response to the subscriber configuring the virtual router, wherein the updated virtual-network configuration includes local entries for nodes on the virtual network, and remote entries for nodes on the remote virtual network;
• payment module means, coupled to the virtual-network configuration process means and to the VN configuration database means, for generating billing items for billing the plurality of subscribers for virtual networks;
• wherein each node on the virtual network comprises:
• local VN switch table means for storing virtual and physical network addresses for nodes on the virtual network;
• remote VN switch table means for storing virtual and physical network addresses for nodes on the remote virtual network;
• network stack means for receiving data and a virtual network address from an application running on a node on the virtual network, and for generating a layer-2 virtual frame;
• network interface controller (NIC) means for sending a physical frame over a provider local network to a physical network address;
• VN device driver shim means, coupled between the network stack means and the NIC means, and coupled to read the local VN switch table means, for encapsulating the layer-2 virtual frame using the physical network address for a destination node on the virtual network to generate the physical frame;
• virtual routing means, activated when the destination node is on the remote virtual network, for reading the remote VN switch table means for the physical network address for the destination node on the remote virtual network, the VN device driver shim means encapsulating the layer-2 virtual frame using the physical network address for the destination node on the remote virtual network to generate the physical frame;
• and
• virtual network management daemon means, receiving the updated virtual-network configuration from the VN configuration controller means, for writing updates to the local VN switch table means and to the remote VN switch table means;
• wherein the virtual network further comprises physical nodes that are physical server machines located on a premises of the subscriber, and connected to a physical local-area network operated by the subscriber,
• whereby the virtual network spans virtual and physical nodes on-premises and off-premises.

A virtual network routing system comprising:

• a virtual network (VN) configuration database for storing virtual network addresses and physical network addresses for a plurality of nodes in a first virtual network and in a second virtual network;
• a virtual-network configuration process, coupled to receive network-configuration requests from a client operated by a subscriber, for writing a new virtual network address and a new physical network address for a new node being added to the first virtual network;
• a virtual-router configuration process, coupled to receive a virtual router configuration request from the client, for writing a gateway virtual network address for a virtual router that connects the first virtual network to the second virtual network;
• wherein applications executing on the new node send data to other nodes in the plurality of nodes in the first virtual network using the virtual network addresses and receive data from the first virtual network addressed to the new virtual network address;
• wherein applications executing on the new node send data to nodes in the second virtual network using the gateway virtual network address and receive data from a node in the second virtual network addressed to the new virtual network address;
• a shared VN switch table, accessible by each node in the first virtual network, the shared VN switch table storing entries for nodes on the first virtual network and on the second virtual network, the entries storing a virtual network address and a physical network address for each node on the first virtual network and for each node on the second virtual network;
• a plurality of VN switch table stubs, wherein a VN switch table stub is stored on a node in the first virtual network, the VN switch table stub for accessing the shared VN switch table;
• a VN configuration controller, activated by the virtual-network configuration process when the VN configuration database is updated, the VN configuration controller sending updates of the VN configuration database to the shared VN switch table for the first virtual network;
• a virtual network management daemon running on a node having the shared VN switch table, wherein the virtual network management daemon receives the updates from the VN configuration controller and writes the updates to the shared VN switch table;
• wherein each node in the plurality of nodes on the first virtual network further comprises:
• a network stack that sends data to an application executing on a node when a virtual network address of an incoming packet matches a virtual network address of the node, and the network stack receives data from the application and sends the data to a virtual network address specified by the application;
• a network interface controller (NIC), coupled to a physical local-area network, for receiving data matching a physical network address for the node, and for sending data to a physical network address;
• and
• a VN device driver shim between the network stack and the NIC, the VN device driver shim intercepting data between the network stack and the NIC, the VN device driver shim intercepting a virtual network address from the network stack and encapsulating data with a physical network address sent to the NIC using the VN switch table stub or the shared VN switch table,
• whereby data sent to virtual network addresses of the network stack are encapsulated using physical network addresses by the VN device driver shim looking up a translation in the shared VN switch table.