US 11,743,172 B2
Using multiple transport mechanisms to provide services at the edge of a network
Pierluigi Rolando, Santa Clara, CA (US); Jayant Jain, Cupertino, CA (US); Raju Koganty, San Jose, CA (US); Kantesh Mundaragi, Pune (IN); Yuxiao Zhang, Mountain View, CA (US); Rahul Mishra, Mountain View, CA (US); and Akhila Naveen, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to VMWARE, INC., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed by VMware, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 17, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/904,390.
Claims priority of application No. 202041015116 (IN), filed on Apr. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0314268 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. H04L 45/00 (2022.01); H04L 47/2441 (2022.01); H04L 67/142 (2022.01); H04L 45/586 (2022.01); H04L 12/46 (2006.01); H04L 45/745 (2022.01); H04L 47/2408 (2022.01); H04L 45/02 (2022.01); H04L 45/12 (2022.01); H04L 45/24 (2022.01); H04L 45/302 (2022.01); H04L 49/20 (2022.01); H04L 41/0893 (2022.01); H04L 49/00 (2022.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01); H04L 67/1004 (2022.01); H04L 47/125 (2022.01); H04L 67/146 (2022.01); H04L 41/0654 (2022.01); H04L 45/30 (2022.01); H04L 45/741 (2022.01); H04L 67/51 (2022.01); H04L 67/63 (2022.01); H04L 67/563 (2022.01); H04L 47/70 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 45/20 (2013.01) [H04L 12/4633 (2013.01); H04L 12/4662 (2013.01); H04L 41/0654 (2013.01); H04L 41/0893 (2013.01); H04L 45/02 (2013.01); H04L 45/04 (2013.01); H04L 45/12 (2013.01); H04L 45/24 (2013.01); H04L 45/30 (2013.01); H04L 45/306 (2013.01); H04L 45/586 (2013.01); H04L 45/741 (2013.01); H04L 45/745 (2013.01); H04L 47/125 (2013.01); H04L 47/2408 (2013.01); H04L 47/2441 (2013.01); H04L 49/20 (2013.01); H04L 49/70 (2013.01); H04L 63/0272 (2013.01); H04L 63/164 (2013.01); H04L 63/306 (2013.01); H04L 67/1004 (2013.01); H04L 67/142 (2013.01); H04L 67/146 (2013.01); H04L 67/51 (2022.05); H04L 67/563 (2022.05); H04L 67/63 (2022.05); H04L 47/825 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing different types of services for a logical network, the method comprising:
at an edge forwarding element between the logical network and an external network:
receiving a data message for forwarding;
selecting, for the data message, a set of services of a first service type from different sets of services of at least two different service types, the different service types using different transport mechanisms for forwarding the data message to sets of services of their respective types;
using a first transport mechanism of the first service type to forward the data message to the selected set of services; and
after receiving the data message upon completion of the selected set of services, performing a forwarding operation to forward the data message,
wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise at least two of (1) a bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism that provides data messages to a service node for providing the selected set of services by addressing the data message to a first interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and sending the data message out a second interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node, (2) a tunneling transport mechanism that encapsulates data messages for delivery to a service node external to the logical network, and (3) a logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism that uses a logical service forwarding plane to provide the data message to a set of service nodes that provide the selected set of services.