US 12,141,599 B2
Architecture of networks with middleboxes
Teemu Koponen, San Francisco, CA (US); Ronghua Zhang, San Jose, CA (US); Pankaj Thakkar, Cupertino, CA (US); and Martin Casado, Portola Valley, CA (US)
Assigned to Nicira, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by Nicira, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/219,234.
Application 15/618,951 is a division of application No. 14/595,199, filed on Jan. 12, 2015, granted, now 9,697,033, issued on Jul. 4, 2017.
Application 18/219,234 is a continuation of application No. 17/850,925, filed on Jun. 27, 2022, granted, now 11,740,923.
Application 17/850,925 is a continuation of application No. 17/140,792, filed on Jan. 4, 2021, granted, now 11,372,671, issued on Jun. 28, 2022.
Application 17/140,792 is a continuation of application No. 16/238,446, filed on Jan. 2, 2019, granted, now 10,884,780, issued on Jan. 5, 2021.
Application 16/238,446 is a continuation of application No. 15/618,951, filed on Jun. 9, 2017, granted, now 10,191,763, issued on Jan. 29, 2019.
Application 14/595,199 is a continuation of application No. 13/678,498, filed on Nov. 15, 2012, granted, now 8,966,024, issued on Feb. 24, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/560,279, filed on Nov. 15, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2023/0359479 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 15/177 (2006.01); G06F 9/455 (2018.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04L 41/08 (2022.01); H04L 41/0803 (2022.01); H04L 41/0806 (2022.01); H04L 41/0813 (2022.01); H04L 41/0823 (2022.01); H04L 41/0893 (2022.01); H04L 41/12 (2022.01); H04L 45/64 (2022.01); H04L 45/74 (2022.01); H04L 49/00 (2022.01); H04L 61/2503 (2022.01); H04L 61/2517 (2022.01); H04L 61/2521 (2022.01); H04L 61/256 (2022.01); H04L 67/1008 (2022.01); H04L 45/02 (2022.01); H04L 49/15 (2022.01)
CPC G06F 9/45558 (2013.01) [G06F 9/455 (2013.01); G06F 9/45533 (2013.01); G06F 15/177 (2013.01); H04L 41/08 (2013.01); H04L 41/0803 (2013.01); H04L 41/0806 (2013.01); H04L 41/0813 (2013.01); H04L 41/0823 (2013.01); H04L 41/0889 (2013.01); H04L 41/0893 (2013.01); H04L 41/12 (2013.01); H04L 45/64 (2013.01); H04L 45/74 (2013.01); H04L 49/70 (2013.01); H04L 61/2503 (2013.01); H04L 61/2517 (2013.01); H04L 61/2521 (2013.01); H04L 61/256 (2013.01); H04L 63/0218 (2013.01); H04L 67/1008 (2013.01); G06F 2009/4557 (2013.01); G06F 2009/45595 (2013.01); H04L 45/02 (2013.01); H04L 49/15 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of performing a middlebox service operation in a data center comprising a plurality of host computers that execute source and destination machines for data message flows, the method comprising:
deploying a set of two or more middlebox service modules to execute on a set of two or more host computers to implement a plurality of distributed logical middleboxes for performing the middlebox service operation for a plurality of logical networks, each distributed logical middlebox implemented by at least two middlebox modules executing on at least two host computers;
distributing at least one logical middlebox service for each logical network;
configuring each middlebox service module with a set of middlebox service rules for the middlebox service modules to use to perform the middlebox service operation; and
wherein each distributed logical middlebox service is identified by a particular identifier, each particular set of middlebox service rules for each particular logical network is associated with the particular identifier of the particular logical network, and each middlebox service module uses a particular tag of the particular logical network to identify the set of middlebox service rules for the particular logical network to use while processing data messages associated with the particular logical network.