Patent ID: 8194680

Claim:
A method for a configured computing system to manage communications for modified computer networks, the method comprising: for each of multiple computing nodes within a first virtual computer network overlaid on a physical substrate network, associating a virtual network address for the first virtual computer network with the computing node and generating mapping information that maps the computing node to a distinct substrate network address corresponding to a network location of the computing node in the physical substrate network; modifying, by a communication manager module executing on the configured computing system that is configured to use at least the generated mapping information, an outgoing communication sent to a first computing node of the multiple computing nodes from another of the multiple computing nodes, the modifying including changing a specified destination address for the outgoing communication from a first virtual network address associated with the first computing node to be a first substrate network address corresponding to a first substrate network location of the first computing node; forwarding the modified communication to the first computing node over the physical substrate network based at least in part on the first substrate network address included in the modified communication; determining, by the configured computing system, to move the first computing node to a different second network location in the physical substrate network, the determining being based at least in part on identifying one or more benefits associated with moving the first computing node; receiving, by the executing communication manager module, and after the forwarding of the modified outgoing communication, information indicating that the first computing node is now associated with a second substrate network address corresponding to the different second network location in the physical substrate network, the moved first computing node retaining the associated first virtual network address after the move; updating, by the executing communication manager module, the generated mapping information to map the first computing node to the second substrate network address; modifying, by the executing communication manager module configured to use at least the updated generated mapping information, an additional outgoing communication sent to the first computing node to change a specified destination address for the additional communication from the first virtual network address to the changed second substrate network address; and forwarding the modified additional communication over the physical substrate network to the moved first computing node at the second substrate network location based at least in part on the changed second substrate network address included in the modified additional communication.