Virtual network interface

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for creating isolated environments that include virtual machines (VM) and networks in a virtual infrastructure are presented. The method includes an operation to define a configuration of a virtual system which includes VMs, virtual network interface cards (VNIC) in the VMs, and configuration local networks (CLN). Further, the method associates each VNIC with one of the CLNs and transmits instructions to the virtual infrastructure for deploying the configuration. Deploying the configuration includes instantiating VMs and CLNs in the virtual infrastructure. Each VM is instantiated in a host monitored by a virtual lab server, and the CLNs are instantiated in the same hosts where the VMs have been instantiated. Only VMs from the configuration can connect to the instantiated CLNs. The method further transmits instructions to the virtual infrastructure to customize the VMs by executing the customization instructions in the guest operating systems of the VMs to configure the VMs' VNICs.

Abstract: In general in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for reconfiguring a virtual network path. The method includes populating a virtual switching table associated with virtual network interface cards (VNICs), implementing the virtual network path using the virtual switching table, where the virtual network path includes a first virtual wire between a first VNIC located in a first computer and a second VNIC located in a second computer, placing a first network packet and a second network packet in a receive buffer associated with the second VNIC, transmitting the first network packet to the second VNIC using the virtual switching table, migrating the second VNIC from the second computer to a third computer, updating the virtual switching table based on migrating the second VNIC, and transmitting the second network packet to the second VNIC in the third computer using the virtual switching table.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus of hypervisor level distributed load-balancing are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes determining a location to direct a packet. The method also includes distributing the packet to process the packet through a processor. The method also includes assigning the packet to a guest such that a distribution of the packet to the guest is based on an algorithm. The method further includes altering a first destination address of the packet to a second destination address. The second destination address may be based on a virtual network interface of the guest. The method further includes convincing the guest the packet is from a virtual switch based on the second destination address. In addition, the method includes adjusting the distribution of the packet to the guest. The method also includes reducing a load of the guest through the adjustment.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for a dynamically extensible virtual switch. An apparatus or virtual switch includes at least one router and a data structure. The router utilizes the data structure to organize a connection between one or more virtual network interface cards (VNICs) to form a virtual network. The virtual switch also identifies a VNIC node of a data frame by its unique identifier, utilizes the unique identifier to index a collection of elements to retrieve a pointer to a virtual network head, and forwards the data frame to all VNIC nodes in a VNIC node listing associated with the virtual network head except for a VNIC node that relates to the unique identifier.