Systems and methods for a data center architecture facilitating layer 2 over layer 3 communication
An information handling system is provided. The information handling system includes a plurality of core devices coupled to each other and to a plurality of distribution devices and a plurality of top-of-rack devices coupled to a plurality of servers and to the distribution devices. The plurality of servers are running hypervisors thereon that each manage a virtual switch and a plurality of virtual machines (VMs). The information handling system further includes a plurality of local network address resolution mediators, with each local network address resolution mediator running on one of the plurality of servers and receiving packets from VMs running thereon, and a global network address resolution mediator running on one of the plurality of core devices. The global network address resolution mediator is in communication with each of the plurality of local network address resolution mediators to collect and distribute packets from the plurality of VMs.
1. An information handling system comprising:
a plurality of core devices coupled to each other and to a plurality of distribution devices;
a plurality of top-of-rack devices, each top-of-rack device being coupled to at least one of the plurality of distribution devices;
a plurality of servers coupled to the plurality of top-of-rack devices, at least some of the plurality of servers having hypervisors running thereon that each manage a virtual switch and a plurality of virtual machines (VMs);
a plurality of local network address resolution mediators, each local network address resolution mediator running on one of the plurality of servers and receiving packets including address information from VMs running thereon; and
a global network address resolution mediator running on one of the plurality of core devices, the global network address resolution mediator being in communication with each of the plurality of local network address resolution to collect and distribute the packets from the plurality of VMs among the plurality of local network address resolution mediators, wherein the plurality of local network address resolution mediators are configured to receive request packets requesting the address information associated with the distributed packets and send reply packets including the address information.
2. The information handling system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a provisioning and mapping entity coupled to one of the plurality of top-of-rack devices, the provisioning and mapping entity configured to instantiate VMs on the plurality of servers.
3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the global network address resolution mediator runs on one of the plurality of core devices and acts as a rendezvous point in a multicast tree having branches to each of the plurality of local network address resolution mediators.
4. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of VMs are coupled by a multicast tree such that at least one of the VMs is configured to use address information obtained from some of the packets to transmit data packets to each of the other VMs of the plurality of VMs.
5. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of local network address resolution mediators communicates with the global network address resolution mediator in accordance with a Border Gateway Protocol.
6. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the global network address resolution mediator includes a first address information table associated with a first tenant and a second address information table associated with a second tenant, the second tenant also being associated with a plurality of additional VMs.
7. The information handling system of claim 6 , further comprising a first multicast tree associated with the first tenant and a second multicast tree associated with the second tenant.
8. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the global network address resolution mediator serves as a root in a Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) tree that includes each of the plurality of local network address resolution mediators as leaves.
9. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein a virtual switch is configured to trap network address resolution packets sent by the VMs and transmit the trapped network address resolution packets to the local network address resolution mediator.
10. The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the trapped network address resolution packets is a gratuitous network address resolution packet.
11. A method for overlaying a virtual network with a multicast tree over a physical network, the method comprising:
receiving an first network address resolution packet at a virtual switch in communication with a virtual machine (VM) running on a first server, the network address resolution request including address information of the VM;
collecting the address information from the first network address resolution packet in a local network address resolution mediator, the local network address resolution mediator running on the first server;
collecting the address information in a global network address resolution mediator running on a network device located a distance away from the first server in the physical network; and
transmitting the address information from the global network address resolution mediator to a plurality of other local network address resolution mediators, each of the local network address resolution mediators running on a server other than the first server, wherein the plurality of other local network address resolution mediators are configured to receive a second network address resolution packet requesting the address information and send a third network address resolution packet including the address information.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising sending the network address resolution packet from the VM as a gratuitous network address resolution reply.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual switch is configured to send received network address resolution packets to the local network address resolution mediator.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the address information from the local network address resolution mediator to the global network address resolution mediator.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multicast tree is a Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) tree having the global network address resolution mediator at a root of the PIM tree.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
trapping one or more of broadcast, unknown unicast, and Layer 2 multicast data packets at the virtual switch; and
sending the trapped data packets to the global network address resolution mediator, the global network address resolution mediator providing a rendezvous point for a multicast tree.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving updated address information from the global network address resolution mediator at the local network address resolution mediator.
18. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing programmed instructions for overlaying a virtual network with a multicast tree over a physical network, wherein the execution of the programmed instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving a first network address resolution packet at a virtual switch in communication with a virtual machine (VM) running on a first server, the first network address resolution packet including address information of the VM;
collecting the address information from the first network address resolution packet in a local network address resolution mediator, the local network address resolution mediator running on the first server;
collecting the address information in a global network address resolution mediator running on a network device located a distance away from the first server in the physical network; and
transmitting the address information from the global network address resolution mediator to a plurality of other local network address resolution mediators, each of the local network address resolution mediators running on a server other than the first server to create a multicast tree, wherein the plurality of other local network address resolution mediators are configured to receive a second network address resolution packet requesting the address information and send a third network address resolution packet including the address information.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the network device on which the global network address resolution mediator is running is a network appliance.
20. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises:
trapping one or more of broadcast, unknown unicast, and Layer 2 multicast packets at the virtual switch; and
sending the trapped packets to the network device on which the global network address resolution mediator is running, the network device also providing a rendezvous point for the multicast tree.