Virtual Datacenter Gateway Route Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprises face challenges in connecting virtual datacenters across multiple public clouds and on-premises datacenters without relying on public Internet traffic, while also managing workloads in the cloud.
Innovation Solution
A method for configuring a gateway router to provide connectivity between a virtual datacenter in a public cloud and external datacenters, involving automatic aggregation of network addresses into a single subnet address for the routing table, to manage route constraints imposed by the public cloud.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual routes are configured for each network endpoint in the virtual datacenter, then routing precision is improved, but the number of routes in the gateway routing table increases beyond cloud provider constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent aggregates multiple individual network endpoint addresses into a single summarized route entry by combining them under a common network prefix. This merging approach reduces the total number of route entries in the gateway routing table while maintaining the ability to accurately route traffic to the virtual datacenter containing all those endpoints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the routing table into two distinct parts: (1) summarized routes that aggregate multiple endpoints under common prefixes to satisfy cloud provider constraints, and (2) specific host routes for individual endpoints that are needed for precise routing. This segmentation allows the system to work within routing table size limitations while preserving routing accuracy when needed.
2Reliability
If the gateway routing table includes routes for each network endpoint, then connectivity accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to routing table constraint violations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic route aggregation where endpoints are grouped under summarized routes based on their network prefixes, and the routing table structure adapts to accommodate both aggregated and specific routes. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain connectivity accuracy while managing routing table complexity within cloud provider constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a route aggregation mechanism that acts as an intermediary between individual endpoint routes and the gateway routing table. This aggregation layer summarizes multiple endpoints into fewer route entries, reducing routing table complexity while the underlying specific routes maintain connectivity accuracy when needed.
3Ease of operation
If route aggregation is performed to reduce the number of routes, then ease of operation is improved, but routing precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial aggregation by selectively summarizing routes only for groups of endpoints that share common prefixes, while maintaining specific host routes for individual endpoints when needed. This partial action approach provides ease of operation through aggregation while preserving routing precision through maintained specific routes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of route representation from individual endpoint addresses to aggregated network prefixes, reducing the number of route entries. By modifying how routes are parameterized (from specific IPs to prefix-based summaries), the system achieves easier operation while the underlying specific routes preserve routing precision when required.
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments provide a method for configuring a gateway router of a virtual datacenter. The method is performed at a network management component of a virtual datacenter that is defined in a public cloud and comprises a set of network management components and a set of network endpoints connected by a logical network managed by the network management components of the virtual datacenter. The method receives a set of network addresses of the network endpoints. The method aggregates at least a subset of the network addresses into a single subnet address that encompasses all of the aggregated network addresses. The method provides an aggregated route for the subset of network addresses to a gateway router that connects the virtual datacenter to a public cloud underlay network in order for the router to route data messages directed to the network endpoints to the logical network of the virtual datacenter.