Using service planes to perform services at the edge of a network

Abstract

Some embodiments provide novel methods for providing a set of services for a logical network associated with an edge forwarding element acting between a logical network and an external network. In some embodiments, the services are provided using a logical service forwarding plane that connects the edge forwarding element to a set of service nodes that each provide a service in the set of services. The service classification operation of some embodiments identifies a chain of multiple service operations that has to be performed on the data message. In some embodiments, identifying the chain of service operations includes selecting a service path to provide the multiple services. After selecting the service path, the data message is sent along the selected service path to have the services provided. The data message is returned to the edge forwarding element by a last service node in the service path that performs the last service operation and the edge forwarding element performs next hop forwarding on the data message.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of providing different types of services for a logical network, the method comprising:
 at an edge forwarding element between a logical network and an external network:
 receiving a data message for forwarding; 
 selecting, for the data message, a set of services of a first service type from different sets of services of at least two different service types, the different service types using different transport mechanisms for forwarding the data message to sets of services of their respective types; 
 using a first transport mechanism of the first service type to forward the data message to the selected set of services; 
 after receiving the data message upon the completion of the selected set of services, performing a forwarding operation to forward the data message. 
   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism that provides data messages to a service node for providing the selected set of services by addressing the data message to a first interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and sending the data message out a second interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and (2) a tunneling transport mechanism that encapsulates data messages for delivery to a service node external to the logical network. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein, for data messages using the bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism, a set of source and destination data link layer addresses is the same for the serviced data message received from the service node and for the data message sent to the service node. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the service node external to the logical network is external to a datacenter in which the edge forwarding element executes. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the service node executes in a datacenter of a third-party service provider. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism that provides data messages to a service node for providing the selected set of services by addressing the data message to a first interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and sending the data message out a second interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and (2) a logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism that uses a logical service forwarding plane to provide the data message to a set of service nodes that provide the selected set of services. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the logical service forwarding plane is implemented as a service logical forwarding element that connects the set of service nodes and the edge forwarding element. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the service logical forwarding element is associated with a service virtual network identifier. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a tunneling transport mechanism that encapsulates data messages for delivery to a service node external to the logical network and (2) a logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism that uses a logical service forwarding plane to provide the data message to a set of service nodes that provide the selected set of services. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein, for a particular set of service nodes, the logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism encapsulates data messages using a service virtual network identifier associated with the logical service forwarding plane. 
     
     
         31 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for providing different types of services for a logical network, the program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for:
 at an edge forwarding element between the logical network and the external network:
 receiving a data message for forwarding; 
 selecting, for the data message, a set of services of a first service type from different sets of services of at least two different service types, the different service types using different transport mechanisms for forwarding the data message to sets of services of their respective types; 
 using a first transport mechanism of the first service type to forward the data message to the selected set of services; 
 after receiving the data message upon the completion of the selected set of services, performing a forwarding operation to forward the data message. 
   
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism that provides data messages to a service node for providing the selected set of services by addressing the data message to a first interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and sending the data message out a second interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and (2) a tunneling transport mechanism that encapsulates data messages for delivery to a service node external to the logical network. 
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 32 , wherein, for data messages using the bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism, a set of source and destination data link layer addresses is the same for the serviced data message received from the service node and for the data message sent to the service node. 
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 32 , wherein the service node external to the logical network is external to a datacenter in which the edge forwarding element executes. 
     
     
         35 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the service node executes in a datacenter of a third-party service provider. 
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a bump-in-the-wire transport mechanism that provides data messages to a service node for providing the selected set of services by addressing the data message to a first interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and sending the data message out a second interface of the edge forwarding element connected to the service node and (2) a logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism that uses a logical service forwarding plane to provide the data message to a set of service nodes that provide the selected set of services. 
     
     
         37 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 36 , wherein the logical service forwarding plane is implemented as a service logical forwarding element that connects the set of service nodes and the edge forwarding element. 
     
     
         38 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 37 , wherein the service logical forwarding element is associated with a service virtual network identifier. 
     
     
         39 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the different transport mechanisms comprise (1) a tunneling transport mechanism that encapsulates data messages for delivery to a service node external to the logical network and (2) a logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism that uses a logical service forwarding plane to provide the data message to a set of service nodes that provide the selected set of services. 
     
     
         40 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 39 , wherein, for a particular set of service nodes, the logical service forwarding plane transport mechanism encapsulates data messages using a service virtual network identifier associated with the logical service forwarding plane.