Host Route Generation for VM IP Consistency

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network technologies face challenges in maintaining consistent IP addresses for virtual machines during migration between layer-2 networks, affecting seamless service access and network reliability.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method using Internal Border Gateway Protocol (IBGP) and GRE tunnels to manage host routes and maintain IP address consistency by generating and updating host route entries and using BGP update messages to propagate these routes across networks, ensuring that virtual machines maintain their original IP addresses during migration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If virtual machines migrate between layer-2 networks, then resource allocation and management flexibility improve, but IP address consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource allocation flexibilityVSAvoidIP address consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces GRE tunnels as intermediary encapsulation mechanisms and BGP routing as an intermediary control plane to maintain IP address consistency during VM migration. The GRE tunnel encapsulates original IP packets with outer headers containing tunnel endpoint information, while BGP distributes routing information to guide traffic through appropriate tunnels, thereby mediating between VM mobility and IP address stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a tunneling dimension to the network architecture by encapsulating original IP packets within GRE tunnel packets. This creates a nested packet structure where the inner packet retains the original IP address while the outer packet provides routing information for the tunnel endpoints, effectively adding a dimensional layer to resolve the contradiction between migration and IP consistency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If host routes are propagated across networks, then routing information accuracy improves, but network complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverouting information accuracyVSAvoidnetwork configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing GRE tunnel endpoints and pre-configuring BGP routing policies before VM migration occurs. The tunnel endpoints are pre-registered with BGP, and routing information is pre-distributed, so that when migration happens, the routing infrastructure is already in place to handle the traffic without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2974234B1Generating a host route
Publication Date: 2020.12.30 HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEV LP
  • EP2974234B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2974234B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2974234B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

According to an example, in a method for generating a host route, a host route entry may be generated based on an IP address of a virtual machine, and an update message carrying a host route of the host route entry may be sent to an IBGP peer.