Patent ID: 9660905
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method for implementing a service chain policy in a distributed gateway within a network, the method comprising: configuring the network to use the distributed gateway; sending a data packet with a distributed gateway address of the distributed gateway instead of a default gateway address as requested; receiving, via a receiver, a data packet from a virtual overlay network using the distributed gateway address; determining, via a processor coupled to the receiver, that the data packet needs to receive one or more policy treatments before forwarding the data packet to a destination end point; determining, via the processor, that the distributed gateway does not have one or more of the policy treatments to forward the data packet to the destination end point; determining, via the processor, one or more network nodes that provide the policy treatments; sequencing, via the processor, the network nodes into the service chain policy; encapsulating the data packet with an address of a first network node offering a first service in the service chain policy; forwarding the data packet to the first network node sequenced in the service chain policy for application of the first service; receiving the data packet back from the first network node after application of the first service to the data packet; and encapsulating the data packet with an address of a second network node offering a second service and forwarding the data packet to the second network node for application of the second service.