Connection identifier assignment and source network address translation
AssigneeNicira, Inc.
InventorsTeemu Koponen, Ronghua Zhang, Pankaj Thakkar, Martin Casado
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A controller of a network control system for configuring several middlebox instances is described. The middlebox instances implement a middlebox in a distributed manner in several hosts. The controller assigns a first set of identifiers to a first middlebox instance that associates an identifier in the first set with a first packet. The controller assigns a second set of identifiers to a second middlebox instance that associates an identifier in the second set with a second packet.
Claims20
A non-transitory machine readable medium of a controller of a network control system for configuring a plurality of middlebox instances to implement a logical middlebox in a distributed manner in a plurality of hosts, the non-transitory machine readable medium storing sets of instructions for:
- assigning a first set of connection identifiers to a first middlebox instance of a plurality of middlebox instances that implement the logical middlebox in the plurality of hosts, the first middlebox instance operating in a first host of the plurality of hosts;
- assigning a second set of connection identifiers to a second middlebox instance of the plurality of middlebox instances, the second middlebox instance operatin in a second host of the plurality of hosts;
- and
- configuring (i) the first middlebox instance to associate one of the first set of connection identifiers with a first packet originating from a first virtual machine operatin in the first host and (ii) the second middlebox instance to associate one of the second set of connection identifiers with a second packet originating from a second virtual machine operatin in the second host, in order for a third host of the plurality of hosts that receives the first and second packets to distinguish between sources of the first and second packets when the first and second packets have identical source network addresses.
For a network controller, a method for configuring a logical middlebox in a plurality of hosts, the method comprising:
- assigning a first set of connection identifiers to a first middlebox instance of a plurality of middlebox instances that implement the logical middlebox in the plurality of hosts, the first middlebox instance operating in a first host of the plurality of hosts;
- assigning a second set of connection identifiers to a second middlebox instance of the plurality of middlebox instances, the second middlebox instance operating in a second host of the plurality of hosts;
- and
- configuring (i) the first middlebox instance to associate one of the first set of connection identifiers with a first packet originating from a first virtual machine operating in the first host and (ii) the second middlebox instance to associate one of the second set of connection identifiers with a second packet originating from a second virtual machine operating in the second host, in order for a third host of the plurality of hosts that receives the first and second packets to distinguish between sources of the first and second packets when the first and second packets have identical source network addresses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.