END-TO-END VIRTUALIZATION
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates end-to-end virtualization. During operation, a network interface residing on an end host sets up a tunnel. The network interface then encapsulates a packet destined to a virtual machine based on a tunneling protocol. By establishing a tunnel that allows a source host to address a remote virtual machine, embodiments of the present invention facilitate end-to-end virtualization.
1 . A network interface, comprising:
a tunnel set-up mechanism configured to set up a tunnel at the network interface which resides on an end host; and
an encapsulation mechanism configured to encapsulate a packet based on a tunneling protocol.
2 . The network interface of claim 1 , further comprising a data structure storing mapping information between a destination entity's identifying information and a tunnel's identifying information.
3 . The network interface of claim 2 , wherein the destination entity is a virtual machine.
4 . The network interface of claim 2 , wherein the destination entity's identifying information comprises at least one of a layer-2 address and a virtual local area network tag.
5 . The network interface of claim 2 , wherein the tunnel's identifying information comprises at least one of: a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) label, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) key.
6 . The network interface of claim 1 , wherein the tunneling protocol is MPLS; and
wherein the encapsulation mechanism is configured to encapsulate the packet with an inner end-to-end label and an outer hop-by-hop label.
7 . The network interface of claim 1 , further comprising a decapsulation mechanism configured to decapsulate a packet encapsulated based on a tunneling protocol.
8 . A method, comprising:
setting up a tunnel at a network interface residing on an end host; and
encapsulating at the network interface a packet based on a tunneling protocol.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising storing mapping information between a destination entity's identifying information and a tunnel's identifying information.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the destination entity is a virtual machine.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the destination entity's identifying information comprises at least one of a layer-2 address and a virtual local area network tag.
12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the tunnel's identifying information comprises at least one of: a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) label, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) key.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the tunneling protocol is MPLS; and
wherein the encapsulation mechanism is configured to encapsulate the packet with an inner end-to-end label and an outer hop-by-hop label.
14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising decapsulating a packet encapsulated based on the tunneling protocol.
15 . A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
setting up a tunnel at a network interface residing on an end host; and
encapsulating at the network interface a packet based on a tunneling protocol.
16 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises storing mapping information between a destination entity's identifying information and a tunnel's identifying information.
17 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the destination entity is a virtual machine.
18 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the destination entity's identifying information comprises at least one of a layer-2 address and a virtual local area network tag.
19 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the tunnel's identifying information comprises at least one of: a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) label, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, and a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) key.
20 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the tunneling protocol is MPLS; and
wherein the encapsulation mechanism is configured to encapsulate the packet with an inner end-to-end label and an outer hop-by-hop label.
21 . The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises decapsulating a packet encapsulated based on the tunneling protocol.