US 9,426,060 B2Granted

Software defined network (SDN) switch clusters having layer-3 distributed router functionality

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsColin K. Dixon, Wesley M. Felter, Sriharsha Jayanarayana, Dayavanti G. Kamath, Abhijit P. Kumbhare, Anees A. Shaikh

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Abstract

According to one embodiment, Layer-3 (L3) distributed router functionality is provided to a switch cluster by receiving an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet from a first host at an entry switch in a switch cluster, a switch controller being in communication with the entry switch, and the ARP request packet including a virtual router IP address of the switch controller as a target, forwarding the ARP request packet to the switch controller after adding a header that adheres to a communication protocol used by the switch controller, receiving an ARP response packet from the switch controller indicating: a source IP address corresponding to a virtual router of the switch controller and a SMAC corresponding to the switch controller, forwarding the ARP response packet to the first host after stripping the communication protocol header, and setting the virtual router as a default gateway for traffic received from the first host.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

a switch cluster comprising a plurality of switches, the plurality of switches including at least an entry switch having an interface for connecting to a first host and an exit switch having an interface for connecting to a second host;
and
a switch controller in communication with the plurality of switches in the switch cluster via a communication protocol;
wherein the entry switch is configured to:
receive an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet from the first host, wherein the ARP request packet includes an internet protocol (IP) address corresponding to a virtual router of the switch controller as a target;
forward the ARP request packet as a unicast packet to the switch controller after adding a header to the ARP request packet that adheres to the communication protocol;
receive an ARP response packet from the switch controller as a unicast packet, the ARP response packet indicating:
a source IP address corresponding to a virtual router of the switch controller;
and
a source media access address (SMAC) corresponding to the switch controller;
forward the ARP response packet as a unicast packet to the first host after stripping a header from the ARP response packet that adheres to the communication protocol;
and
set the virtual router of the switch controller as a default gateway for traffic received from the first host.

10 more elements

A method for providing Layer-3 (L3) distributed router functionality to a switch cluster, the method comprising:

receiving an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet from a first host at an entry switch in a switch cluster, wherein a switch controller is in communication with the entry switch, and wherein the ARP request packet includes a virtual router internet protocol (IP) address of the switch controller as a target;
forwarding the ARP request packet as a unicast packet to the switch controller after adding a header to the ARP request packet that adheres to a communication protocol used by the switch controller to communicate with switches in the switch cluster;
receiving an ARP response packet from the switch controller as a unicast packet, the ARP response packet indicating:
a source IP address corresponding to a virtual router of the switch controller;
and
a source media access address (SMAC) corresponding to the switch controller;
forwarding the ARP response packet as a unicast packet to the first host after stripping a header from the ARP response packet that adheres to the communication protocol used by the switch controller;
and
setting the virtual router of the switch controller as a default gateway for traffic received from the first host.

6 more elements

A method for providing Layer-3 (L3) distributed router functionality to a switch cluster, the method comprising:

receiving an address resolution protocol (ARP) request packet as a unicast packet at a switch controller from an entry switch in a switch cluster, wherein the entry switch is connected to a first host, and wherein the switch controller utilizes a communication protocol to communicate with switches in the switch cluster;
and
sending an ARP response packet as a unicast packet to the entry switch, the ARP response packet indicating:
a media access control (MAC) address of the switch controller as a source MAC (SMAC) for the ARP response packet;
and
an internet protocol (IP) address of a virtual router of the switch controller as being a source of the ARP response packet.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/961,830Filed 7 Aug 2013
Published: US 2015/0043576 A112 Feb 2015
Granted: 23 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04L 45/34
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: source routing
H04L 12/184
With heterogeneous network architecture: with heterogeneous receivers, e.g. layered multicast
H04L 45/586
Association of routers: of virtual routers
H04L 45/64
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: using an overlay routing layer