Tenant-Specific Segment Routing Overlays for Cloud Workloads
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud environments lack tenant-specific routing capabilities, leading to inefficiencies and frustration as traffic routing rules often do not match the needs of the workload, reducing efficiency and causing misalignment between cloud providers and tenants.
Innovation Solution
Implementing segment routing as a service (SRaaS) that allows tenants to define and dynamically modify routing paths on-demand using segment routing principles, with real-time feedback and API interfaces for flexible management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cloud provider defines traffic routing rules, then network management is simplified and standardized, but routing efficiency and adaptability to tenant workload needs deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments routing control by introducing tenant-specific virtual routing instances that operate independently within the cloud provider's network infrastructure. Each tenant can define their own routing rules and policies, allowing customized routing paths while maintaining the underlying standardized network management. This segmentation enables both simplified provider management and tenant-specific routing optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a virtualization dimension to physical network routing by creating overlay networks. Tenant workloads are assigned virtual routing instances that operate in this additional dimension, allowing routing rules to be defined at the virtual layer without disrupting the physical network infrastructure. This dimensional approach enables flexible tenant-specific routing while maintaining standardized physical network management.
2Productivity
If standardized routing rules are imposed on all tenants, then network infrastructure utilization is optimized, but tenant-specific workload requirements and service level agreements deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables tenants to self-configure their routing rules through programmable interfaces. Each tenant can define their own routing policies, paths, and parameters based on their specific workload requirements and service level agreements. This self-service capability allows tenants to optimize their routing independently while the underlying infrastructure remains efficiently utilized through standardized physical network management.
3Productivity
If dynamic routing modifications are allowed for each tenant, then routing efficiency and service level agreement fulfillment improve, but system complexity and management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal virtual routing instance framework that handles multiple tenant workloads through a common architecture. Each tenant's routing instance uses the same underlying infrastructure and management mechanisms, allowing dynamic routing modifications without proportionally increasing system complexity. The universal framework provides multi-functionality by serving diverse tenant requirements through standardized virtual routing processes.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed is a system and method of providing a segment routing as a service application. The method includes receiving a configuration of an internet protocol environment. The configuration can be a layer 3 configuration of a single cloud environment or even across multiple cloud environments. The configuration defines routing, forwarding, and paths in the environment between different entities such as virtual machines. The method includes receiving a parameter associated with a workload of a tenant. The parameter can be a service level agreement (i.e., a best bandwidth available), a pathway requirement, a parameter associated with specific workload, and so forth. Based on the configuration and the parameter, the method includes generating tenant-defined layer 3 overlay segment routing rules that define how the workload of the tenant will route data in the internet protocol environment using segment routing.