Scoped Network Address Pool Management for Virtual Data Centers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In virtualized computer systems, managing large numbers of virtual machines with dynamic network interfaces poses challenges in efficiently allocating unique network addresses while ensuring security and performance, as existing methods lack a structured approach to address pool management.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchy of groups within a virtual data center to organize machines and associate them with specific network address pools, allowing for the selection of network addresses based on machine context, which enhances security and performance by reducing the pool of available addresses and enabling stricter traffic rules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large pool of network addresses is used to accommodate many virtual machines, then the system can support more virtual machines, but security and performance management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the network address pool into multiple scoped pools associated with different groups (tenant groups, project groups, namespace groups). Each scope has its own address pool, allowing independent management and reducing the complexity of managing a single large pool while maintaining the capacity to support many virtual machines across different scopes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If network addresses are dynamically allocated to virtual machines, then flexibility and adaptability improve, but control over address allocation and security management deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements different address pool management policies for different scopes. Each scope (tenant, project, namespace) can have its own address pool with specific allocation rules, allowing dynamic allocation within each scope while maintaining centralized control through the hierarchical structure. This enables flexible dynamic allocation without losing overall control.
3Device complexity
If a flat network address structure is used, then simplicity is maintained, but security enforcement and traffic management become less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a hierarchical nested structure where scopes are nested within groups, and address pools are nested within scopes. This nested structure enables sophisticated security enforcement and traffic management through scope-based policies while maintaining relative simplicity through the organized hierarchical framework. Each nested level can enforce security rules without complicating the overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for storing and managing pools of network addresses. An example method may comprise: receiving, by a processing device, a request for a network address to be associated with a network interface of a machine, wherein the machine is represented by one of: a virtual machine or a computer system; identifying a hierarchy of groups that include the machine; searching the hierarchy of groups to identify a group having an associated pool of network addresses; and selecting a network address from the pool of network addresses.