Patent ID: 8831000
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method performed by a multicast cloud controller (“MCC”) in a cloud system to manage multicast traffic in a cloud network, the MCC coupled to at least one virtualized server for hosting one or more virtual machines (“VM”), wherein the virtualized server comprises at least one virtual switch (“VS”) that supports multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and the virtual switch is coupled to a top of rack switch (“TORS”) that supports MPLS, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a join message at the MCC, wherein the join message indicates that a VM has requested to join a multicast group; adding the VM to a set of VMs of a tenant, where the set of VMs are subscribed to the multicast group; looking up a VS and a TORS for the VM by the MCC using a VM record maintained by the MCC; installing at least one flow table entry at the VS for the VM, the at least one flow table entry to configure inbound multicast traffic of the multicast group to be forwarded to the VM and to configure outbound multicast traffic of the multicast group to be sent to the TORS of the VM; and installing at least one flow table entry at the TORS of the VM, the at least one flow table entry of the TORS to configure the TORS to forward the outbound multicast traffic of the multicast group by MPLS to other TORS of the cloud system with VMs subscribing to the multicast group and to configure the TORS to forward incoming multicast traffic of the multicast group to the VS of the VM.