Patent ID: 8223770
Filing Date: 2012-07-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A network interface for a first physical device for sending a data packet from at least one local virtual machine on the first physical device to at least one other virtual machine on at least one remote physical device, coupled by a forwarding network, the network interface comprising: a data packet receiver configured to receive data packets having a destination address of the at least one other virtual machine in an address space of a virtual network, independent of an address space of the forwarding network; an address mapper arranged to determine a corresponding forwarding address in the address space of the forwarding network, using the destination address of each data packet, the address mapper having a stored mapping of addresses for determining the corresponding forwarding address, and the address mapper arranged to configure the stored mapping by sending a discovery request over the forwarding network in response to the address mapper not having a corresponding forwarding address for the data packet or in response to the corresponding forwarding address for the data packet being out of date; and an encapsulator arranged to encapsulate each data packet with the corresponding forwarding address so that the forwarding network can deliver the data packet to the remote physical device having that corresponding forwarding address, wherein the at least one local virtual machine or the at least one other virtual machine is connected to two virtual networks and has two virtual network addresses, wherein a source address of each data packet is set without reference to the at least one local virtual machine, wherein the corresponding address is determined according to which virtual network the data packet belongs to without reference to the at least one local virtual machine, and wherein the encapsulator encapsulates each data packet with an indication of to which virtual network the data packet belongs.