Service insertion in a computer network using internet protocol version 6 techniques

摘要

Apparatus, methods and computer programs enable carrying service insertion architecture data plane packets in IPv4 or IPv6 networks by packaging destination addresses using IPv6 mechanisms. For example, a data processing apparatus is configured for receiving, from a service broker, a service label and an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address of a first service node; receiving an IPv4 packet requesting a service associated with the first service node; creating an IPv6 packet comprising a service label in a Flow Label field of the IPv6 packet, the IPv6 address of the first service node in a destination address field of the IPv6 packet, and the IPv4 packet in a payload field of the IPv6 packet; forwarding the IPv6 packet to the first service node. Approaches allow service insertion architecture support for all-IPv6 traffic including tunneled and non-tunneled techniques for environments in which user applications place data in the flow label field.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:
receiving, from a service broker, a service insertion architecture service label and an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) address of a first service node; receiving, from a network node that uses Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), an IPv4 packet requesting a service associated with the first service node; creating an IPv6 packet comprising the service insertion architecture service label in a Flow Label field of the IPv6 packet, the IPv6 address of the first service node in a destination address field of the IPv6 packet, and the IPv4 packet in a payload field of the IPv6 packet; forwarding the IPv6 packet to the first service node and causing the first service node to perform:
extracting the IPv4 packet;performing the service using the IPv4 packet, resulting in creating a modified IPv4 packet;creating a second IPv6 packet comprising the service insertion architecture service label in a Flow Label field of the second IPv6 packet, a second IPv6 address of a second service node in a destination address field of the second IPv6 packet, and the modified IPv4 packet in a payload field of the second IPv6 packet;forwarding the second IPv6 packet to the second service node, or forwarding the second IPv6 packet to a service classifier, or dropping the second IPv6 packet.