Abstract:
According to one aspect, a method includes an Intercloud Fabric Switch (ICS) included in a public cloud and an ICS cluster obtaining a packet, and determining if the packet is obtained from a site-to-site link that links the ICS to an enterprise datacenter. If the packet is obtained from the site-to-site link, it is determined whether the packet is an unknown unicast packet. If the packet is an unknown unicast packet, the packet is dropped, and if not, the packet is provided to an access link that links the ICS to a virtual machine. If the packet is not obtained from the site-to-site link, it is determined whether the packet is obtained from an inter-ICS link that allows the ICS to communicate with the ICS cluster. If the packet is obtained from the inter-ICS link, the packet is dropped if it is an unknown unicast packet.
Abstract:
Presented herein are techniques for dynamic creation of a unique service path for a service chain. In one example, a service controller and a plurality of service nodes are provided, each service node configured to apply a service function to traffic that passes through the respective service node. The service controller defines a service chain identifying a set of service functions and an order in which they are applied. The service controller receives an indication that the service chain has been instantiated at a classifier, and creates a unique service path for the service chain, wherein the unique service path includes the service chain and the classifier at which the service chain is instantiated.
Abstract:
An example method for a programmable infrastructure gateway for enabling hybrid cloud services in a network environment is provided and includes receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud, interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface, and executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter. The method is generally executed in the infrastructure gateway including a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit, the cloud adapter being generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud. In specific embodiments, identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms; each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.
Abstract:
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes receiving at a network element a packet including a Network Services Header (“NSH”), in which the NSH includes an Infrastructure (“I”) flag and a service path header comprising a Service Index (“SI”), and a Service Path ID (“SPI”) and determining whether the I flag is set to a first value. The method further includes, if the I flag is set to the first value, setting the I flag to a second value and forwarding the packet to the service function that corresponds to the SI for processing. The method still further includes, if the I flag is not set to the first value, decrementing the SI and making a forwarding decision based on a new value of the SI and the SPI.
Abstract:
According to one aspect, a method includes an Intercloud Fabric Switch (ICS) included in a public cloud and an ICS cluster obtaining a packet, and determining if the packet is obtained from a site-to-site link that links the ICS to an enterprise datacenter. If the packet is obtained from the site-to-site link, it is determined whether the packet is an unknown unicast packet. If the packet is an unknown unicast packet, the packet is dropped, and if not, the packet is provided to an access link that links the ICS to a virtual machine. If the packet is not obtained from the site-to-site link, it is determined whether the packet is obtained from an inter-ICS link that allows the ICS to communicate with the ICS cluster. If the packet is obtained from the inter-ICS link, the packet is dropped if it is an unknown unicast packet.
Abstract:
An example method for a programmable infrastructure gateway for enabling hybrid cloud services in a network environment is provided and includes receiving an instruction from a hybrid cloud application executing in a private cloud, interpreting the instruction according to a hybrid cloud application programming interface, and executing the interpreted instruction in a public cloud using a cloud adapter. The method is generally executed in the infrastructure gateway including a programmable integration framework allowing generation of various cloud adapters using a cloud adapter software development kit, the cloud adapter being generated and programmed to be compatible with a specific public cloud platform of the public cloud. In specific embodiments, identical copies of the infrastructure gateway can be provided to different cloud service providers who manage disparate public cloud platforms; each copy of the infrastructure gateway can be programmed differently to generate corresponding cloud adapters compatible with the respective public cloud platforms.
Abstract:
Presented herein are elastic service chain techniques. In one example, a network element receives data traffic to be processed by a service chain that specifies an ordered sequence of service pools including a first service pool and second service pool, wherein each service pool comprises a plurality of network services. A network service is determined from the first service pool to be applied to the data traffic, and data traffic is forwarded to the network service in the first service pool.
Abstract:
Presented herein are service-function chaining techniques. In one example, a service controller in a network comprising a plurality of service nodes receives one is configured to identify one or more service-functions hosted by each of the service nodes. The service controller defines a service-function chain in terms of service-functions to be applied to traffic in the network and provides information descriptive of the service-function chain to a classifier node.
Abstract:
Techniques are provided for implementing a zone-based firewall policy. At a virtual network device, information is defined and stored that represents a security management zone for a virtual firewall policy comprising one or more common attributes of applications associated with the security zone. Information representing a firewall rule for the security zone is defined and comprises first conditions for matching common attributes of applications associated with the security zone and an action to be performed on application traffic. Parameters associated with the application traffic are received that are associated with properly provisioned virtual machines. A determination is made whether the application traffic parameters satisfy the conditions of the firewall rule and in response to determining that the conditions are satisfied, the action is performed.
Abstract:
Many hybrid cloud topologies require virtual machines in a public cloud to use a router in a private cloud, even when the virtual machine is transmitting to another virtual machine in the public cloud. Routing data through an enterprise router on the private cloud via the internet is generally inefficient. This problem can be overcome by placing a router within the public cloud that mirrors much of the routing functionality of the enterprise router. A switch configured to intercept address resolution protocol (ARP) request for the enterprise router's address and fabricate a response using the MAC address of the router in the public cloud.