Proxy tunnel end point unit, communication system for scalable network virtualization having the same and communication method for scalable network virtualization

A communication method performed by a proxy tunnel end point apparatus for scalable network virtualization, the method comprising:

• collecting information on each of a plurality of tunnel end point units of a plurality of node units, respectively that include a first node unit and second node unit;
• generating a tunnel for unicast to be connected to the each tunnel end point unit of the plurality of node units;
• generating a VSI (Virtual Switching Instance) corresponding to a VNIDs (Virtual Network Identifier), which is set for a virtual network using the tunnel;
• receiving a packet from a first tunnel end point unit of the first node unit through the tunnel using a proxy tunnel end point unit and terminating the tunnel;
• extracting VNID information related to the VNID where the packet belongs to from a tunnel header of the received packet and transmitting a terminated L2 packet to the VSI corresponding to the VNID;
• generating a virtual port corresponding to the tunnel that terminated in the tunnel packet end point unit, inputting the terminated L2 packet from the tunnel packet end point unit to the virtual port of the corresponding tunnel, performing L2 switching including mac learning and flooding of unknown unicast packet and non-unicast packet based on header information of the L2 packet, and transmitting the L2 packet to a destination virtual port;
• adding to the packet an L3 tunnel header that has an IP address of an tunnel end point associated with a VSI output virtual port of the packet as a destination address and an IP address of the proxy tunnel end point unit as a source address;
• and
• transmitting a tunneled packet to a second tunnel end point unit of the second node unit that is a destination of transmission based on destination virtual port information,
• wherein the first tunnel end point unit of the first node unit transmits all packets to only a proxy tunnel end point unit Instead of a second tunnel end point unit of the second node unit,
• wherein a source L3 address of all packets being transmitted to the second tunnel end point unit is an L3 address of the proxy tunnel end point unit.

A communication system for scalable network virtualization, the system comprising:

• a plurality of node units including a first node unit and second node unit, each node unit including a tunnel end point unit;
• and
• a plurality of proxy tunnel end point units of a proxy tunnel end point apparatus comprise:
• one or more processors configured to collect information on each of a plurality of tunnel end point units of a plurality of node units;
• generate a tunnel for unicast to be connected to the each tunnel end point unit of the plurality of node units;
• generate a VSI (Virtual Switching Instance) corresponding to a VNID (Virtual Network Identifier), which is set for a virtual network using the tunnel;
• receive a packet through the tunnel from a first tunnel end point unit of the first node unit using a proxy tunnel end point unit, terminate the tunnel, extract VNID information related to the VNID where the packet belongs to from a tunnel header of the received packet, and transmit the terminated L2 packet to the VSI corresponding to the VNID;
• generate a virtual port corresponding to the tunnel that terminated in the tunnel packet end point unit, inputting the terminated L2 packet from the tunnel packet end point unit to the virtual port of the corresponding tunnel, and perform L2 switching including mac learning and flooding of unknown unicast packet and non-unicast packet based on the header information of the L2 packet and to transmit the L2 packet to a destination virtual port;
• and
• add to the packet the L3 tunnel header that has an IP address of an tunnel end point unit associated with a VSI output virtual port of the packet as a destination address and an IP address of the proxy tunnel end point unit as a source address and transmit a tunneled packet to a second tunnel endpoint unit of the second node unit that is a destination of transmission, based on destination virtual port information at the VSI,
• wherein the first tunnel end point unit of the first node unit transmits all packets to only a proxy tunnel end point unit instead of a second tunnel end point unit of the second node unit,
• wherein a source L3 address of all packets being transmitted to the second tunnel end point unit is an L3 address of the proxy tunnel end point unit.