Granted Patent B2

US 8,837,322 · App. 13/164,009 · Granted Sep 16, 2014

Abstract

Claims (113)

1. A method to handle information packets comprising:

receiving an incoming packet at a data plane at a network data handling apparatus;

extracting packet data from the incoming packet;

matching a plurality of flows from a flow data store with the extracted packet data;

marking a packet descriptor data associated with the incoming packet, the marking forming a marked ingress packet, wherein the marking is performed in response to the matching failing to find a matching flow;

forwarding the marked ingress packet to a control plane at the network data handling apparatus;

retrieving a flow-related data related to the marked ingress packet at the control plane;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data included in the marked ingress packet using the flow-related data, the updating forming an updated marked packet; and

sending the updated marked packet back to the data plane, wherein the data plane processes the updated marked packet utilizing the flow-related data from the updated marked packet.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating, by the data plane, one or more entries in the flow data store using the flow-related data from the updated marked.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header portion of the updated marked packet;

snooping, by the data plane, the L2 header data that was updated by the control plane that is passed back to the data plane; and

based on the snooping, updating an L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header that was updated by the control plane.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane, wherein each of the plurality of dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data of the plurality of dummy packets with the flow-related data;

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header that is included in each of the plurality of dummy packets;

sending, by control plane, the updated plurality of dummy packets to the data plane;

identifying, at the data plane, the updated marked packet as being one of the plurality of dummy packets;

updating an L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header that was updated in the updated marked dummy packet; and

discarding the updated marked packet after the updating of the L2 table.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing a truncated copy of the incoming packet and associating the truncated copy with one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store, wherein a plurality of truncated copies are stored corresponding to a plurality of incoming packets, wherein each of the plurality of truncated copies is associated with a different one of the plurality of flows from the data store; and

generating the plurality of dummy packets from the plurality of truncated copies.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a plurality of dummy packets based on a plurality of previously received incoming packets, wherein each of the dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane;

identifying one or more dummy packets where a corresponding updated marked packet was not received at the data plane; and

deleting, at the data plane, one or more of the plurality of flows from the flow data store corresponding to the identified one or more dummy packets.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

periodically generating a plurality of dummy packets based on a plurality of previously received incoming packets, wherein each of the dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane;

identifying, at the data plane, the updated marked packet as being one of the dummy packets;

validating the matching flow in the flow data store using the flow-related data; and

validating L2 header data stored in an L2 Table with a L2 header that is included in the updated marked packet.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 further comprising:

updating one or more of the plurality of flows in the flow data store using the flow-related data; and

updating the L2 header data stored in the L2 Table with the L2 header that is included in the updated marked packet.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors, wherein a first set of the memory is allocated to a data plane that is executed by one or more of the processors and wherein a second set of the memory is allocated to a control plane that is executed by one or more of the processors;

a network adapter, accessible by at least one of the processors, that connects the system to a computer network;

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions comprising:

receiving, at the network adapter, an incoming packet at the data plane;

extracting packet data from the incoming packet;

matching a plurality of flows from a flow data store with the extracted packet data, wherein the flow data store resides in the first set of memory;

marking a packet descriptor data associated with the incoming packet, the marking forming a marked ingress packet, wherein the marking is performed in response to the matching failing to find a matching flow;

forwarding the marked ingress packet to the control plane, the forwarding including storing the marked ingress packet in the second set of memory;

retrieving a flow-related data related to the marked ingress packet at the control plane, wherein the flow-related data is retrieved from the second set of memory;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data included in the marked ingress packet using the flow-related data, the updating forming an updated marked packet; and

sending the updated marked packet back to the data plane, wherein the data plane processes the updated marked packet utilizing the flow-related data from the updated marked packet.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

creating, by the data plane, one or more entries in the flow data store using the flow-related data from the updated marked packet.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header portion of the updated marked packet;

snooping, by the data plane, the L2 header data that was updated by the control plane that is passed back to the data plane; and

based on the snooping, updating an L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header that was updated by the control plane.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

sending a plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane, wherein each of the plurality of dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data of the plurality of dummy packets with the flow-related data;

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header that is included in each of the plurality of dummy packets;

sending, by control plane, the updated plurality of dummy packets to the data plane;

identifying, at the data plane, the updated marked packet as being one of the plurality of dummy packets;

updating an L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header that was updated in the updated marked dummy packet; and

discarding the updated marked packet after the updating of the L2 table.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

storing a truncated copy of the incoming packet and associating the truncated copy with one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store, wherein a plurality of truncated copies are stored corresponding to a plurality of incoming packets, wherein each of the plurality of truncated copies is associated with a different one of the plurality of flows from the data store; and

generating the plurality of dummy packets from the plurality of truncated copies.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

periodically generating a plurality of dummy packets based on a plurality of previously received incoming packets, wherein each of the dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane;

identifying one or more dummy packets where a corresponding updated marked packet was not received at the data plane; and

deleting, at the data plane, one or more of the plurality of flows from the flow data store corresponding to the identified one or more dummy packets.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

periodically generating a plurality of dummy packets based on a plurality of previously received incoming packets, wherein each of the dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane;

identifying, at the data plane, the updated marked packet as being one of the dummy packets;

validating the matching flow in the flow data store using the flow-related data; and

validating L2 header data stored in an L2 Table with a L2 header that is included in the updated marked packet.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

updating one or more of the plurality of flows in the flow data store using the flow-related data; and

updating the L2 header data stored in the L2 Table with the L2 header that is included in the updated marked packet.

17. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

receiving an incoming packet at a data plane;

extracting packet data from the incoming packet;

matching a plurality of flows from a flow data store with the extracted packet data;

marking a packet descriptor data associated with the incoming packet, the marking forming a marked ingress packet, wherein the marking is performed in response to the matching failing to find a matching flow;

forwarding the marked ingress packet to a control plane;

retrieving a flow-related data related to the marked ingress packet at the control plane;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data included in the marked ingress packet using the flow-related data, the updating forming an updated marked packet; and

sending the updated marked packet back to the data plane, wherein the data plane processes the updated marked packet utilizing the flow-related data from the updated marked packet.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:

creating, by the data plane, one or more entries in the flow data store using the flow-related data from the updated marked packet;

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header portion of the updated marked packet;

snooping, by the data plane, the L2 header data that was updated by the control plane that is passed back to the data plane; and

based on the snooping, updating an L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header that was updated by the control plane.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:

storing a truncated copy of the incoming packet and associating the truncated copy with one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store, wherein a plurality of truncated copies are stored corresponding to a plurality of incoming packets, wherein each of the plurality of truncated copies is associated with a different one of the plurality of flows from the data store;

generating a plurality of dummy packets from the plurality of truncated copies;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane, wherein each of the plurality of dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

updating, by the control plane, the packet descriptor data of the plurality of dummy packets with the control plane flow information;

updating, by the control plane, L2 header data into a header that is included in each of the plurality of dummy packets;

sending, by control plane, the updated plurality of dummy packets to the data plane;

identifying, at the data plane, the updated marked packet as being one of the plurality of dummy packets;

updating the L2 table that is managed by the data plane using the L2 header data that was updated in the updated marked packet; and

discarding the updated marked packet after the updating of the L2 table.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the information handling system performs further actions comprising:

generating a plurality of dummy packets based on a plurality of previously received incoming packets, wherein each of the plurality of dummy packets relate to one of the plurality of flows from the flow data store;

sending the plurality of dummy packets from the data plane to the control plane;

identifying one or more dummy packets where a corresponding updated marked packet was not received at the data plane; and

deleting, at the data plane, one or more of the plurality of flows from the flow data store corresponding to the identified one or more dummy packets.

Assignments (23)