Methods and apparatus for providing composed appliance services in virtualized private networks

A provider network, comprising:

• a plurality of devices that implement a plurality of resource instances, wherein the provider network includes subsets of the plurality of resource instances allocated to customers of the provider network as customer resource instances;
• at least two subnets, wherein the at least two subnets include a customer subnet that includes one or more components of the provider network allocated to a specific customer of the provider network, and a backend subnet, wherein the backend subnet on the provider network is distinct from the customer subnet for the specific customer;
• and
• an instance of an appliance service comprising at least one front-end node and one or more backend nodes, wherein the appliance service instance comprises a resource instance provisioned in the customer subnet as a front-end node instance of the appliance service instance and one or more resource instances provisioned in the backend subnet as backend node instances of the appliance service instance, wherein the one or more resource instances provisioned as backend node instances are allocated to a provider of the appliance service separate from the specific customer;
• wherein the front-end node instance includes at least two interfaces, wherein one interface of the at least two interfaces is in the customer subnet and is operable to transmit and receive communications from the customer subnet to the appliance service instance, and wherein another of the at least two interfaces is in the backend subnet outside the customer subnet and is operable to transmit and receive communications between the front-end node instance and the one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance;
• and
• wherein at least one of the one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance is configured to communicate with one or more other front-end node instances of another customer subnet for another customer, wherein the other customer subnet is distinct from the customer subnet for the specific customer.

A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions computer-executable to implement:

• provisioning, in a subnet on a provider network, at least one resource instance as a front-end node instance of an appliance service instance, wherein the subnet includes one or more components of the provider network allocated to a specific entity that operates the subnet;
• provisioning, in each of one or more other subnets on the provider network, one or more resource instances as backend node instances of the appliance service instance, wherein each of one or more other subnets on the provider network are distinct from the subnet for the specific entity, and wherein the one or more resource instances provisioned as backend node instances are allocated to a provider of the appliance service separate from the specific entity;
• provisioning each of the at least one front-end node instances with at least two interfaces, wherein one interface is provisioned in the subnet of the specific entity and is configured to send and receive communications from the subnet of the specific entity to the appliance service instance, and wherein one or more others of the interfaces each is provisioned in one of the one or more other subnets distinct from the subnet for the specific entity and is configured to send and receive communications between the respective front-end node instance and one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance in the respective subnet;
• and
• wherein at least one of the one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance is configured to communicate with one or more additional front-end node instances of an additional subnet for an additional customer, wherein the additional subnet is distinct from the subnet for the specific entity.

A device, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to implement:
• a front-end node instance of an appliance service instance on a customer subnet on a provider network, wherein the customer subnet is for a specific customer,
• wherein backend node instances of the appliance service instance are in one or more other subnets of the provider network, and wherein the one or more other subnets on the provider network are distinct from the customer subnet, and wherein the backend node instances are allocated to a provider of the appliance service separate from the specific customer and separate from an operator of the provider network;
• wherein the front-end node instance implements at least two interfaces, wherein one interface is provisioned in the customer subnet and is operable to transmit and receive communications from the customer subnet to the appliance service instance, and wherein one or more others of the interfaces each are provisioned in one of the one or more other subnets distinct from the customer subnet and is operable to transmit and receive communications between the front-end node instance and one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance in the respective subnet;
• and
• wherein at least one of the one or more backend node instances of the appliance service instance is configured to communicate with one or more additional front-end node instances of an additional customer subnet for an additional customer, wherein the additional customer subnet is distinct from the customer subnet for the specific customer.