Patent ID: 9215083
Filing Date: 2015-12-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A system for supporting packet direct forwarding in a middleware machine environment operating on one or more microprocessors, comprising: one or more external ports on at least one network switch instance, wherein each external port is adapted to receive one or more data packets from an external network; a virtual hub (vHUB) maintained on the at least one network switch instance and associated with a plurality of virtual network interface cards (vNICs), wherein the vHUB is assigned a virtual local area network identification (VLAN ID) and the plurality of vNICs are each assigned a media access control (MAC) address; a plurality of host channel adapter (HCA) ports on a plurality of host servers, wherein each said HCA port is associated with a said host server via a vNIC from the plurality of vNICs, and wherein each said host server is associated with one or more virtual machines that operate to process the one or more data packets; and wherein the at least one network switch instance operates to send a packet received at an external port to a designated HCA port, wherein the designated HCA port is identified via a combination of the VLAN ID assigned to the vHUB and a MAC address assigned to an associated vNIC; wherein upon receiving the packet, a host server associated with the designated HCA port is configured to determine whether to forward the packet to a HCA port from the plurality of HCA ports on another host server from the plurality of host servers for processing by a virtual machine on the another host server; and wherein upon determining to forward the packet to another host server, the host server is configured to communicate directly with the another server via vNICs associated with the respective host servers.