Adaptive Overlay Network Logical Physical IP Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data-center networks are inflexible due to the rigid coupling of virtual machines to physical networks, limiting the ability to migrate machines across subnetworks without disrupting network connections, and existing solutions like VXLAN, NVGRE, and STT suffer from encapsulation overhead, hardware upgrades, and compatibility issues with existing network middleware.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an adaptive overlay network (AON) that uses a location table to map logical IP addresses to physical IP addresses, allowing machines to migrate independently of their physical networks without encapsulation, and enabling transparent routing by decoupling the dual purpose of IP addresses, where logical IP addresses remain constant and physical IP addresses change with the machine's location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If IP addresses are used as both endpoint identifiers and location identifiers, then routing is simplified, but machine migration across subnetworks is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the IP address functionality into two separate components: logical IP addresses serve as endpoint identifiers, while physical IP addresses serve as location identifiers. This segmentation allows machines to migrate across subnetworks by changing their physical IP address while maintaining their logical IP address, thereby resolving the contradiction between simplified routing and migration capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a translation layer that acts as an intermediary between logical IP addresses and physical IP addresses. This translation layer handles the mapping and routing decisions, allowing the system to maintain simple endpoint identification while enabling flexible migration through the intermediary's ability to translate between logical and physical addresses.
2Device complexity
If virtual machines are tightly coupled to physical networks, then network configuration is simplified, but adaptive migration is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network architecture into logical network layers and physical network layers. Virtual machines operate with logical IP addresses in the logical network layer, while the translation layer handles mapping to physical IP addresses in the physical network layer. This segmentation allows simplified network configuration for virtual machines while enabling adaptive migration through the translation layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The translation layer serves as an intermediary that decouples virtual machines from physical networks. It translates logical IP addresses used by virtual machines into physical IP addresses for actual network communication, thereby simplifying network configuration for virtual machines while enabling adaptive migration across different physical networks.
3Adaptability or versatility
If large Layer 2 subnetworks are created to enable migration, then migration capability is improved, but broadcast traffic and management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into logical subnetworks and physical subnetworks. Virtual machines can migrate across physical subnetworks by changing their physical IP address mapping in the translation layer, while logical subnetworks remain small and well-defined. This segmentation enables migration capability without creating large Layer 2 broadcast domains, as broadcast traffic is confined to logical subnetworks only.
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptive overlay network and method of operating the same. A location table is used to directly map logical addresses of machines (e.g., virtual or physical) within the network to their respective physical addresses alleviating the need for encapsulation and virtual switches to perform communications between these machines.