Adaptive Distributed Virtual Switch Infrastructure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing distributed virtual switches face challenges in adapting to varying network conditions and deployment scenarios, such as different bandwidth, connectivity, and locations, which affects their performance and reliability across diverse environments like data centers, remote offices, and hybrid clouds.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves an adaptive and flexible infrastructure for distributed virtual switches that uses location and context awareness to classify data plane components and adapt their behavior based on characteristics like bandwidth, location, and network connectivity, enabling intelligent decision-making and differentiated feature and service operations across different deployment models.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a distributed virtual switch operates across different physical locations with varying network conditions, then it can serve diverse deployment scenarios (data centers, remote offices, hybrid clouds), but it faces challenges in adapting to varying bandwidth, connectivity, and location characteristics which affects performance and reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to varying network conditionsVSAvoidperformance reliability across diverse environments
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts its operation based on detected network characteristics. The distributed virtual switch components monitor their operational environment and adjust their behavior in real-time according to current network conditions, transforming from a static to a dynamic system that can optimize performance across varying deployment scenarios

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters based on detected network characteristics. By identifying characteristics such as bandwidth, connectivity type, and location, the distributed virtual switch modifies its operational parameters to suit different environments, enabling reliable operation whether in data centers, remote offices, or hybrid cloud configurations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If the distributed virtual switch uses a single operational mode for all data plane components, then the system structure is simple, but it cannot optimize performance for different deployment scenarios and network characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveperformance optimizationVSAvoidsystem complexity for adaptive operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data plane components into different groups based on their operational characteristics and deployment scenarios. This segmentation allows each group to be optimized independently for its specific environment while maintaining overall system coordination through the control plane, enabling performance optimization without requiring complete system redesign for each scenario

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different groups of data plane components are configured with different operational characteristics tailored to their specific deployment environments. Each group receives customized operational parameters and behavior patterns appropriate to its local network conditions, location, and connectivity characteristics, enabling localized optimization across the distributed system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2880829B1Adaptive infrastructure for distributed virtual switch
Publication Date: 2018.11.14 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP2880829B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2880829B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2880829B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying at a network device, characteristics of a distributed virtual switch comprising a control plane component and a plurality of data plane components, grouping the data plane components, and adapting operation of the distributed virtual switch for one or more groups of the data plane components based on the characteristics. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.