Application Switch VLAN Tagging for Cloud Instance Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing approaches to application virtualization in cloud computing often result in increased latency when scaling applications to meet demand, as they require new IP and MAC addresses for each instance, affecting elasticity and user experience.
Innovation Solution
The use of an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model layer 2 supplemental identifier allows an application switch to distinguish between network service instances associated with different application instances, maintaining transparency to clients while offloading network connection management, thus reducing latency and improving scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If new IP and MAC addresses are assigned to each application instance, then application instances can be distinguished on the network, but latency increases and scalability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application instances under a single IP address and MAC address by using VLAN tags to distinguish between instances. Instead of assigning unique network identifiers to each instance, multiple instances share the same L3/L2 identifiers while being differentiated through VLAN tagging at Layer 2, thereby reducing the overhead of address assignment and improving scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces VLAN tagging as an additional dimension for distinguishing application instances. Rather than relying solely on L3/L2 addresses (traditional dimensions), the solution adds a VLAN identifier dimension that enables instance differentiation without requiring new IP or MAC addresses, thus avoiding the latency associated with address assignment while maintaining instance distinction.
2Reliability
If new IP and MAC addresses are assigned to each application instance, then network connections can be uniquely identified, but device complexity and management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple application instances under shared IP and MAC addresses, managed through a centralized application switch that handles VLAN tagging. This merging approach reduces the number of unique network identifiers that need to be tracked and managed, thereby simplifying network configuration and reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to uniquely identify each instance through VLAN tags.
Solution Approach 2:
The application switch acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of instance differentiation. Instead of requiring each network device to handle unique IP/MAC assignments for every instance, the application switch intermediates by implementing VLAN tagging logic, thereby centralizing the complexity management and simplifying the overall network architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional virtualization approaches are used with unique addresses per instance, then application instances can scale, but user experience deteriorates due to increased startup times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application instances under shared network identifiers (IP and MAC addresses) while using VLAN tags for instance differentiation. This approach enables rapid application instantiation and scaling because the network does not need to perform address assignment or configuration for each new instance, thereby reducing startup times while maintaining the ability to scale applications effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The network infrastructure is pre-configured with VLAN tagging capabilities and shared IP/MAC address pools, allowing application instances to be instantiated rapidly without requiring real-time address assignment. This preliminary preparation of network resources enables fast application startup and scaling while maintaining user experience quality.
Data Source
AI summary
An application switch instantiates two application-side network service instances for the same application. Each network service instance is characterized by a common Internet Protocol (IP) address, a common Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model layer 2 (L2) media access control (MAC) address, and a unique (for the application) supplemental L2 identifier. The application switch maintains a mapping between a {client IP address, client port} tuple and a particular instantiated network service instance based at least in part on the supplemental L2 identifier of a particular one of the instantiated first and second network service instances. When the application switch receives a client communication via an application switch client-side network, the application switch determines the particular instantiated network service instance corresponding to the {<client IP address>, <client port>} tuple based on the mapping, and switches the received client communication to the determined application-side network service instance.