VM Migration via MAC Translation Tables
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Solution Overview
Problem
When migrating a virtual machine from one node to another in a cloud infrastructure network, existing technologies face challenges in maintaining cloud provider networking addresses that correlate to virtual machine networking addresses, leading to network interruptions and service downtime due to incorrect routing of inbound and outbound packets.
Innovation Solution
The described techniques involve modifying data organization, communication paths, and interrelationships between modules to maintain cloud provider networking addresses that correlate to virtual machine networking addresses during migration. This includes using MAC address translation tables and routing tables to ensure continuous routing of packets to the correct virtual machine location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If virtual machine migration is performed by changing the location of the VM, then the virtual machine can be moved to different nodes for maintenance or optimization, but network interruptions and service downtime occur due to incorrect routing of inbound and outbound packets during the migration process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the cloud provider's networking equipment with the target node's address information before the virtual machine migration is complete. This advance preparation ensures that routing tables are updated and forwarding rules are in place before traffic needs to be redirected, eliminating network interruptions during the migration process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the cloud provider's networking infrastructure with address correlation tables) that mediates between the virtual machine's primary IP address and the physical node's secondary IP address. This intermediary layer ensures continuous routing by maintaining address mappings that automatically redirect traffic to the correct node location without service interruption.
2Manufacturing precision
If cloud provider networking addresses are changed to reflect the new virtual machine location, then correct routing can be achieved, but changes need to be made to both incoming and outgoing packets as well as in the cloud provider's networking equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the address management into two distinct layers: primary IP addresses assigned by the multitenant virtualized resource system and secondary IP addresses owned by the cloud provider's networking infrastructure. This segmentation allows independent management of each address type, simplifying the migration process by enabling changes at the secondary address level without affecting the primary address space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and maintains address correlation tables that copy and map the relationship between primary IP addresses and secondary IP addresses. These correlation tables serve as a simplified representation of the complex address mapping, allowing the system to manage routing changes through table updates rather than direct modifications to networking equipment configurations.
3Productivity
If virtual machine migration is performed, then resource optimization and maintenance can be achieved, but there is a period of time during which inbound traffic becomes unrouteable since the virtual machine has moved to a different location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining active address correlation entries throughout the migration process. The cloud provider's networking equipment continuously forwards traffic using the updated secondary IP address mappings, ensuring that inbound traffic remains routeable to the migrating virtual machine without interruption or downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary configuration of the target node's address in the cloud provider's networking equipment before the virtual machine migration completes. This advance preparation eliminates the time gap where traffic would be unrouteable, as the routing infrastructure is already prepared to accept and forward traffic to the new location immediately upon migration completion.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems and computer program products for deploying a virtualization system onto cloud computing infrastructure. Virtual machines of a virtualization system are deployed onto computing nodes that are interconnected via a cloud provider's networking infrastructure. When migrating a virtual machine from a source computing node to a target computing node that is also interconnected to the cloud provider's networking infrastructure, the addressing of the to-be-migrated virtual machine changes. Dynamically-updated media access control translation tables are maintained at the computing nodes. The media access control translation tables are populated with cloud provider media access control addresses received from the cloud provider. A virtual switch at each computing node modifies incoming and outgoing packets of a to-be-migrated virtual machine based on contents of that node's media access control translation table. On an ongoing basis, addressing information for migrated virtual machines is received at the computing nodes by operation of address resolution protocols.