US 8,683,023 B1Granted

Managing communications involving external nodes of provided computer networks

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsEric Jason Brandwine, Andrew B. Dickinson

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Abstract

Techniques are described for managing communications for a managed virtual computer network overlaid on a distinct substrate computer network, including for communications involving computing nodes of the managed virtual computer network connected to the substrate network and/or other external nodes of the managed virtual computer network that are not connected to the substrate network. The managed virtual computer network may have multiple associated virtual network addresses, and the managing of the communications may further include using one or more edge modules to direct all communication that have a destination virtual network address within a range or other group of multiple virtual network addresses assigned to one or more external nodes to be forwarded over the substrate network to an edge module associated with the one or more external nodes, including to route communications between different external nodes via the substrate network.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored contents that configure a computing system to:

obtain information regarding a first virtual computer network overlaid on a distinct substrate network that interconnects multiple computing nodes of the first virtual computer network, and wherein the first virtual computer network further includes a first external node separated from the substrate network via a first external connection;
configure a first edge module that interconnects the substrate network and the first external connection to associate a first group of multiple virtual network addresses with a second computing node of the multiple computing nodes that is configured to act as an intermediate destination for at least some communications directed to the virtual network addresses of the first group, the virtual network addresses of the first group including a first virtual network address associated with a third computing node of the multiple computing nodes;
and
under control of the first edge module,
receive a first communication from the first external node via the first external connection that the first external node indicates to be sent to the third computing node by specifying the first virtual network address for the third computing node;
encode the first communication in a manner specific to the substrate network;
and
forward the encoded first communication over the substrate network from the first edge module to the second computing node, to enable the second computing node to manage further forwarding of the encoded first communication to the third computing node.

5 more elements

A system, comprising:

one or more hardware processors of one or more computing systems;
a manager module that is configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardware processors, manage a first communication for a virtual computer network that has multiple computing nodes interconnected by an underlying second network and that has one or more external nodes separated from the second network via one or more external connections, wherein the first communication is sent to a first destination virtual network address associated with a first computing node of the multiple computing nodes, and wherein the managing of the first communication includes:
encoding the first communication in a manner specific to the second network;
and
initiating forwarding the encoded first communication to the first computing node over the second network without using the one or more external connections;
and
an edge module that interconnects the second network with the one or more external nodes via the one or more external connections and that is associated with one or more second virtual network addresses of the virtual computer network assigned to the one or more external nodes, the edge module being configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more hardware processors, manage a second communication that is sent to one of the one or more second virtual network addresses, the managing of the second communication including:
receiving the second communication;
and
initiating forwarding of the received second communication to at least one of the one or more external nodes via at least one of the one or more external connections.

7 more elements

A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving configuration information for a virtual computer network having multiple computing nodes and having one or more external nodes, the virtual computer network being overlaid on a distinct substrate network that interconnects the multiple computing nodes, the one or more external nodes being separated from the substrate network via an external connection;
configuring a first edge module that interconnects the substrate network and the first external connection, the configuring including associating multiple virtual network addresses for the virtual computer network with a first computing node of the multiple computing nodes, the first computing node being configured to act as an intermediate destination for at least some communications directed to the multiple virtual network addresses;
receiving, by the first edge module, a communication from one of the one or more external nodes via the external connection, the communication being directed via one of the multiple virtual network addresses to a second computing node of the multiple computing nodes, the first edge module executing on a configured device;
encoding, by the executing first edge module, the communication in a manner specific to the substrate network;
and
forwarding, by the executing first edge module, the encoded communication over the substrate network from the first edge module to the first computing node based on the configuring, to enable the first computing node to act as the intermediate destination and manage further communication forwarding to the second computing node.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.