IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,303,522
Granted Patent B2
US 11,303,522 · App. 16/789,446 · Granted Apr 12, 2022

Automatic configuring of virtual networking based on information from a switch

Inventor: Premnath Sundarababu (Chennai, IN)
Assignee: VMWARE, INC.
H04L41/0876G06F9/45558H04L12/4641H04L41/0806H04L69/324G06F2009/45562
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,303,522
App. No.
16/789,446
Granted
Apr 12, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Examples described herein include systems and methods for automatically configuring a VM on a server using information from a switch located remotely from the server. The switch can provide the configuration information in a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (“LLDP”) type-length-value (“TLV”) data structure. The configuration information can include various information related to configuring a VM, such as a VM identifier, an indication of a physical port of the server, a VM interface that corresponds to the identified physical port, and a virtual local area network (“VLAN”) identifier indicating that a particular VLAN corresponds to the VM, VM interface, or the physical port. The hypervisor can use this configuration information to automatically configure a newly instantiated VM, or reconfigure a VM for a new task, without manual user input.

Claims (62)

1. A method for automatically configuring a virtual machine (VM) on a server, comprising:

receiving, at a hypervisor executing on the server, configuration information from a switch separate from and connected to the server, the configuration information comprising:

an indication of a physical port of the server;

a VM identifier; and

a VM interface corresponding to the physical port;

storing the configuration information;

determining, by the hypervisor, to instantiate a first VM, wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier;

instantiating, by the hypervisor, the first VM using at least the stored configuration information; and

automatically configuring the first VM such that the VM interface of the first VM is mapped to the physical port.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information further comprises a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier indicating at least one VLAN associated with the VM interface.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising mapping the physical port to the at least one VLAN based on the VLAN identifier being received at the physical port.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration information utilizes a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) type-length-value (TLV) data structure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier based on a VM name of the first VM that is mapped to the VM identifier.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an instruction to commit the first VM to a new task based on new configuration information, wherein the new configuration information comprises:

a second indication of a second physical port of the server;

the VM identifier; and

the VM interface.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

accessing the configuration information at a storage location; and

modifying the stored configuration information to reflect the new configuration information.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a hardware-based processor, performs stages for automatically configuring a virtual machine (VM) on a server, the stages comprising:

receiving, at a hypervisor executing on the server, configuration information from a switch separate from and connected to the server, the configuration information comprising:

an indication of a physical port of the server;

a VM identifier; and

a VM interface corresponding to the physical port;

storing the configuration information;

determining, by the hypervisor, to instantiate a first VM, wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier;

instantiating, by the hypervisor, the first VM using at least the stored configuration information; and

automatically configuring the first VM such that the VM interface of the first VM is mapped to the physical port.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the configuration information further comprises a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier indicating at least one VLAN associated with the physical port.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 9 , the stages further comprising mapping the physical port to the at least one VLAN based on the VLAN identifier being received at the physical port.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the configuration information utilizes a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) type-length-value (TLV) data structure.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier based on a VM name of the first VM that is mapped to the VM identifier.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8 , the stages further comprising:

receiving an instruction to commit the first VM to a new task based on new configuration information, wherein the new configuration information comprises:

a second indication of a second physical port of the server;

the VM identifier; and

the VM interface.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the stages further comprising:

accessing the configuration information at a storage location; and

modifying the stored configuration information to reflect the new configuration information.

15. A system for automatically configuring a virtual machine (VM) on a server, comprising:

a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions; and

a computing device including a hardware-based processor that executes the instructions to carry out stages comprising:

receiving, at a hypervisor executing on the server, configuration information from a switch separate from and connected to the server, the configuration information comprising:

an indication of a physical port of the server;

a VM identifier; and

a VM interface corresponding to the physical port;

storing the configuration information;

determining, by the hypervisor, to instantiate a first VM, wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier;

instantiating, by the hypervisor, the first VM using at least the stored configuration information; and

automatically configuring the first VM such that the VM interface of the first VM is mapped to the physical port.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the configuration information further comprises a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier indicating at least one VLAN associated with the VM interface.

17. The system of claim 16 , the stages further comprising mapping the physical port to the at least one VLAN based on the VLAN identifier being received at the physical port.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the configuration information utilizes a Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) type-length-value (TLV) data structure.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first VM is associated with the VM identifier based on a VM name of the first VM that is mapped to the VM identifier.

20. The system of claim 15 , the stages further comprising:

receiving an instruction to commit the first VM to a new task based on new configuration information, wherein the new configuration information comprises:

a second indication of a second physical port of the server;

the VM identifier; and

the VM interface.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 15, 2024
From: VMWARE, INC.
To: VMWARE LLC
Reel/Frame 067102/0395 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2020
From: SUNDARABABU, PREMNATH
To: VMWARE, INC.
Reel/Frame 051806/0618 →
Priority Claims (1)
IN 201941045919 · Nov 12, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210144059A1 · May 13, 2021