Patent ID: 9185056
Filing Date: 2015-11-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of forwarding packets from a packet source to a packet destination through a network of switches, wherein the switches include ports, wherein the switches are controlled by a controller that is separate from the switches and that is coupled to the switches via control paths, and wherein groups of the ports form respective virtual switches, the method comprising: with the controller, receiving one of the packets from a given one of the switches; with the controller, identifying, from information from the received packet that identifies the packet destination and packet source, a virtual path through the virtual switches from a first virtual switch associated with the packet source to a second virtual switch associated with the packet destination, wherein the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch include ports from at least two different switches; with the controller, identifying a packet forwarding path through the switches from the packet source to the packet destination based on the virtual path and a network policy; and with the controller, generating the packet forwarding path by sending control messages to each of the switches in the packet forwarding path.