Network Abstraction Layer for Federation Address Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deploying multiple server federations on a shared network leads to communication conflicts due to hard-coded IP addresses, requiring separate private networks which increase costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A network abstraction and isolation layer (NAIL) rules-based federation and masquerading (RBFM) interface transforms internal addresses to unique external addresses for intra-federation communications, preventing conflicts between federations on a shared network link without the need for additional NICs or virtual resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate private networks are provided for each federation, then inter-federation communication conflicts are prevented, but hardware costs and network complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Network Abstraction and Isolation Layer (NAIL) as an intermediary between servers and the physical network. This layer performs address translation and packet rewriting, allowing multiple federations to share a common physical network while maintaining logical isolation. The NAIL translates internal federation addresses to external network addresses, preventing conflicts without requiring separate physical networks for each federation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network communication into multiple layers: the physical network layer and the logical federation layer. By separating these layers and introducing the NAIL abstraction layer, the system allows multiple federations to coexist on the same physical infrastructure while maintaining independent address spaces and communication domains.
2Reliability
If separate private networks are provided for each federation, then address collisions are avoided, but additional NIC hardware and virtual resources are required
Solution Approach 1:
The NAIL component provides multiple functions using a single hardware interface: address translation, packet rewriting, federation isolation, and network address assignment. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for additional NIC hardware while maintaining address uniqueness across multiple federations sharing the same physical network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of network interfaces through the NAIL layer. Each server appears to have its own network identity and address space, but these are virtual representations managed by the NAIL rather than physical NICs. This allows multiple federations to share physical hardware while maintaining the illusion of dedicated network interfaces.
3Productivity
If hard-coded IP addresses are used for server communication, then communication efficiency is improved, but federation cloning and redundancy become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic address translation where the NAIL dynamically maps internal hard-coded addresses to external addresses. Servers can maintain their original hard-coded IP addresses for efficient communication, while the NAIL dynamically handles address translation when packets leave or enter the federation, enabling both cloning and efficient communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The NAIL changes address parameters dynamically based on the federation context. Internal packets use the original address space with hard-coded IPs for efficiency, while external packets have their address parameters transformed by the NAIL. This parameter transformation allows servers to maintain efficient hard-coded addresses while enabling federation cloning and redundancy.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system of a federation coupled to a network including a server having an internal address associated with a first subnet and a network abstraction and isolation layer rules-based federation and masquerading (NAIL RBFM) interface that interfaces the server with the network. The NAIL RBFM interface transforms the internal address between the first subnet and a second subnet for intra-federation communications. The NAIL RBFM interface performs transform and inverse transform operations to convert between internal and external addresses of intra-federation network traffic. The operations may be performed on source and destination addresses, and may be configured in any of several manners, such as modifying at least one bit of an address, replacing at least one octet of an IP address, substituting a prefix of an address, replacing an entire address, etc.