Abstract: For a virtual distributed network environment employing physical forwarding elements that includes both software forwarding elements and third party devices serving as hardware forwarding elements, a scalable method for synchronizing configuration data of logical forwarding elements that are distributed across the various physical forwarding elements is provided. The method generates and updates the configuration data at a set of central controllers and then distributes the configuration data to the physical forwarding elements. The method delivers the updated configuration data to some of the physical forwarding elements by (i) determining a delta/differential between the updated configuration data held at the central controller and the obsolete configuration data held at those physical forwarding elements and (ii) delivering the determined differential configuration data to the physical forwarding elements.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a novel method for managing hardware forwarding elements (MHFEs) that facilitate the creation of multiple logical networks on a set of shared physical forwarding elements. The method uses a set of logical controllers that generate data that defines a set of logical networks, and a set physical controllers to distribute the generated data to the hardware forwarding elements. In some embodiments, each MHFE can serve as either a master WIFE or a slave MHFE for one set of computing end nodes (e.g., VMs, containers, etc.) in a logical network. To ensure proper routing of data packets to the computing end nodes, each MHFE sends to its physical controller an inventory (e.g., a table, a list, etc.) of the set of computing end nodes for which it serves as the master MHFE or the slave MHFE. Each physical controller forwards the inventory for each logical network to the logical controller for the logical network.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a network system. The network system includes a first set of host machines hosting virtual machines that connect to each other through a logical network. The network system includes a second set of host machines hosting virtualized containers that operate as gateways to process packets entering the logical network from external sources. Each of the virtualized containers advertises itself to an external router as a next hop for packets entering the logical network such that the external router uses equal-cost multi-path forwarding to distribute the packets across the virtualized containers on the second set of host machines.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a network system. The network system includes a first set of host machines for hosting virtual machines that connect to each other through a logical network. The first set of host machines includes managed forwarding elements for forwarding data between the host machines. The network system includes a second set of host machines for hosting virtualized containers that operate as gateways for forwarding data between the virtual machines and an external network. At least one of the virtualized containers peers with at least one physical router in the external network in order to advertise addresses of the virtual machines to the physical router.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a network system. The network system includes a first set of host machines hosting virtual machines that connect to each other through a logical network. The network system includes a second set of host machines hosting virtualized containers that operate as gateways to process packets entering the logical network from external sources. Each of the virtualized containers advertises itself to an external router as a next hop for packets entering the logical network such that the external router uses equal-cost multi-path forwarding to distribute the packets across the virtualized containers on the second set of host machines.