Network virtualization system and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of computer networks, and particularly provides a network virtualization system and method, which is based on an SDN network and comprises an SDN central controller, a virtual network management module, a physical network management module and a virtual switch, the SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling; the virtual network management module is used for configuring and managing a virtual network; the physical network management module is used for configuring and managing a physical network; and the virtual switch is used for data forwarding between the virtual machines. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that dynamic distribution and adjustment of network resources can be realized, the resource utilization rate is improved, effective network resource isolation is provided in a user environment, the security and performance among different tenants are ensured, and manual intervention and operation and maintenance cost are reduced in the aspect of network management.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of computer networks, and specifically provides a network virtualization system and method. Background Art

[0002] With the development of cloud computing and big data technology, network virtualization has become an important means to achieve efficient resource utilization and flexible management. Due to its inherent complexity and rigidity, traditional network architecture is difficult to meet the needs of modern data centers and cloud environments. SDN technology provides a flexible network management method by separating the control plane and the data plane, but the existing SDN network virtualization solution still has some problems:

[0003] (1) Inflexible resource allocation: Existing SDN network virtualization solutions have certain limitations in resource allocation and cannot dynamically adjust network resources according to actual needs.

[0004] (2) Insufficient multi-tenant support: In a multi-tenant environment, existing solutions cannot effectively isolate the network resources of different tenants, resulting in security and performance issues.

[0005] (3) Complex management: Existing SDN network virtualization solutions are complex to manage and require a lot of manual intervention, which increases operation and maintenance costs.

[0006] For example, the OpenFlow protocol is one of the core protocols of SDN, but it is insufficient in resource isolation and management in a multi-tenant environment. In addition, the existing virtual switch technology also needs to be improved in terms of performance and reliability. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims at solving the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art and provides a network virtualization system with strong practicality.

[0008] A further technical task of the present invention is to provide a network virtualization method that is reasonably designed, safe and applicable.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0010] A network virtualization system, based on an SDN network, includes an SDN central controller, a virtual network management module, a physical network management module and a virtual switch;

[0011] The SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling;

[0012] The virtual network management module is used for configuration and management of the virtual network;

[0013] The physical network management module is used for configuration and management of the physical network;

[0014] The virtual switch is used for data forwarding between virtual machines.

[0015] Furthermore, the SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling, including creation, deletion and modification of virtual networks;

[0016] Perform multi-tenant management to ensure resource isolation between different tenants, provide API interfaces, and integrate with other management systems.

[0017] Furthermore, the virtual network management module is used for configuration and management of the virtual network, including creation of virtual switches and division of virtual network segments, and dynamic adjustment of the topology structure and bandwidth resources of the virtual network.

[0018] Furthermore, the physical network management module is used for configuration and management of the physical network, including configuration of the physical switch and status monitoring of the physical link, and communication with the central controller to achieve collaborative management of the physical network and the virtual network.

[0019] Furthermore, the virtual switch is used for data forwarding between virtual machines, performing data packet processing and processing of various virtual network protocols, and realizing virtualized connection across physical networks.

[0020] Furthermore, the SDN central controller communicates with physical switches and virtual switches through southbound interfaces to achieve centralized management and dynamic adjustment of network resources;

[0021] The virtual network management module and the physical network management module communicate with the SDN central controller through the northbound interface to realize the automation of network configuration and management.

[0022] A network virtualization method, firstly for control plane data flow, including SDN Controller SDN central controller -> Virtual Network Management virtual network management module, SDN Controller SDN central controller -> Physical Network Management physical network management module, Virtual Network Management virtual network management module -> Virtual Switch virtual switch and Physical Network Management physical network management module -> Physical Switch physical switch situation;

[0023] Then there are the data plane data flows, including Virtual Switch -> VM, VM -> Virtual Switch, Physical Switch -> Physical Device, Physical Device -> Physical Switch, and Virtual Switch -> Physical Switch.

[0024] Furthermore, when SDN Controller SDN central controller->Virtual Network Management virtual network management module, the SDN central controller sends a configuration instruction to the virtual network management module;

[0025] When SDN Controller SDN central controller -> Physical Network Management physical network management module, the SDN central controller sends configuration instructions to the physical network management module;

[0026] When Virtual Network Management->Virtual Switch, the Virtual Network Management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the virtual switch to guide the forwarding of data packets.

[0027] When Physical Network Management -> Physical Switch, the physical network management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the physical switch to guide the forwarding of data packets.

[0028] Furthermore, when Virtual Switch->VM, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the specified virtual machine according to the configuration instructions;

[0029] When VM->Virtual Switch, the data packets generated by the virtual machine are forwarded to the target virtual machine or physical network through the virtual switch;

[0030] When Physical Switch->Physical Device, the physical switch forwards the data packet to the specified physical device according to the configuration instructions;

[0031] When Physical Device->Physical Switch, the data packets generated by the physical device are forwarded to the target physical device or virtual network through the physical switch;

[0032] When Virtual Switch->Physical Switch, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the physical switch to achieve communication between the virtual network and the physical network.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the network virtualization system and method of the present invention have the following outstanding beneficial effects:

[0034] The present invention realizes dynamic allocation and adjustment of network resources, improves resource utilization, provides effective network resource isolation in a user environment, ensures security and performance between different tenants, reduces manual intervention in network management, and reduces operation and maintenance costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0036] Attached Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a network virtualization system (I);

[0037] Attached Figure 2 It is a flow chart of a network virtualization system (II). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] A best embodiment is given below:

[0040] like Figure 1-2 As shown, a network virtualization system in this embodiment is based on an SDN network and includes an SDN central controller, a virtual network management module, a physical network management module and a virtual switch;

[0041] The SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling;

[0042] It includes the creation, deletion and modification of virtual networks, supports multi-tenant management, ensures the isolation of network resources between different tenants, provides API interfaces, and supports integration with other management systems.

[0043] The virtual network management module is used for configuration and management of virtual networks;

[0044] It includes the creation of virtual switches, the division of virtual network segments, etc., and supports dynamic adjustment of the virtual network topology and bandwidth resources.

[0045] The physical network management module is used for configuration and management of the physical network;

[0046] It includes configuration of physical switches, status monitoring of physical links, etc., supports communication with the central controller, and realizes collaborative management of physical and virtual networks.

[0047] Virtual switches are used for data forwarding between virtual machines, such as VXLAN and GRE, to achieve virtualized connections across physical networks.

[0048] The central controller communicates with physical switches and virtual switches through southbound interfaces (such as OpenFlow) to achieve centralized management and dynamic adjustment of network resources.

[0049] The virtual network management module and the physical network management module communicate with the central controller through the northbound interface to realize the automation of network configuration and management.

[0050] Based on the above system, a network virtualization method in this embodiment first controls the data flow on the control plane. When SDNController SDN central controller->Virtual Network Management virtual network management module, the SDN central controller sends configuration instructions to the virtual network management module, such as the topology of the virtual network, the connection rules between virtual machines, etc.

[0051] When SDN Controller --> Physical Network Management, the SDN central controller sends configuration instructions to the physical network management module, such as the topology of the physical network, the connection rules between physical devices, etc.

[0052] When Virtual Network Management -> Virtual Switch, the virtual network management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the virtual switch to guide the forwarding of data packets.

[0053] When Physical Network Management -> Physical Switch, the physical network management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the physical switch to guide the forwarding of data packets.

[0054] The data plane data flow is:

[0055] When Virtual Switch->VM, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the specified virtual machine according to the configuration instructions;

[0056] When VM->Virtual Switch, the data packets generated by the virtual machine are forwarded to the target virtual machine or physical network through the virtual switch;

[0057] When Physical Switch->Physical Device, the physical switch forwards the data packet to the specified physical device according to the configuration instructions;

[0058] When Physical Device->Physical Switch, the data packets generated by the physical device are forwarded to the target physical device or virtual network through the physical switch;

[0059] When Virtual Switch->Physical Switch, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the physical switch to achieve communication between the virtual network and the physical network.

[0060] The above-mentioned specific implementations are only specific cases of the present invention. The patent protection scope of the present invention includes but is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementations. Any technical solutions that conform to the above-mentioned specific implementations of the present invention and any appropriate changes or substitutions made by ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field shall fall within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

[0061] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A network virtualization system, characterized in that: Based on SDN network, including SDN central controller, virtual network management module, physical network management module and virtual switch; The SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling; The virtual network management module is used for configuration and management of the virtual network; The physical network management module is used for configuration and management of the physical network; The virtual switch is used for data forwarding between virtual machines.

2. A network virtualization system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The SDN central controller is used for global network resource management and scheduling, including the creation, deletion and modification of virtual networks; Perform multi-tenant management to ensure resource isolation between different tenants, provide API interfaces, and integrate with other management systems.

3. A network virtualization system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The virtual network management module is used for configuration and management of the virtual network, including creation of virtual switches and division of virtual network segments, and dynamic adjustment of the topological structure and bandwidth resources of the virtual network.

4. A network virtualization system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The physical network management module is used for configuration and management of the physical network, including configuration of the physical switch and status monitoring of the physical link, and communication with the central controller to achieve collaborative management of the physical network and the virtual network.

5. A network virtualization system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The virtual switch is used for data forwarding between virtual machines, performing data packet processing and processing of various virtual network protocols, and realizing virtualized connection across physical networks.

6. A network virtualization system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The SDN central controller communicates with physical switches and virtual switches through southbound interfaces to achieve centralized management and dynamic adjustment of network resources; The virtual network management module and the physical network management module communicate with the SDN central controller through the northbound interface to realize the automation of network configuration and management.

7. A network virtualization method, characterized in that: First, the control plane data flow, including SDN Controller -> Virtual Network Management, SDN Controller -> Physical Network Management, Virtual Network Management -> Virtual Switch, and Physical Network Management -> Physical Switch. Then there are the data plane data flows, including Virtual Switch -> VM, VM -> Virtual Switch, Physical Switch -> Physical Device, Physical Device -> Physical Switch, and Virtual Switch -> Physical Switch.

8. A network virtualization method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When SDN Controller->Virtual Network Management, the SDN central controller sends configuration instructions to the virtual network management module; When SDN Controller SDN central controller -> Physical Network Management physical network management module, the SDN central controller sends configuration instructions to the physical network management module; When Virtual Network Management -> Virtual Switch, the Virtual Network Management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the virtual switch to guide the forwarding of data packets; When Physical Network Management -> Physical Switch, the physical network management module converts the configuration instructions of the SDN controller into specific configuration commands and sends them to the physical switch to guide the forwarding of data packets.

9. A network virtualization method according to claim 8, characterized in that: When Virtual Switch->VM, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the specified virtual machine according to the configuration instructions; When VM->Virtual Switch, the data packets generated by the virtual machine are forwarded to the target virtual machine or physical network through the virtual switch; When Physical Switch->Physical Device, the physical switch forwards the data packet to the specified physical device according to the configuration instructions; When Physical Device->Physical Switch, the data packets generated by the physical device are forwarded to the target physical device or virtual network through the physical switch; When Virtual Switch->Physical Switch, the virtual switch forwards the data packet to the physical switch to achieve communication between the virtual network and the physical network.

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