Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100061240 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO LOW LATENCY WITHIN A DATA CENTER - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a switch core that has a multi-stage switch fabric. The multi-stage switch fabric has a set of ingress ports and a set of egress ports. The switch core can be configured to be coupled to a set of edge devices via the set of ingress ports and the set of egress ports. The switch core can be configured to receive a packet from an ingress port from the set of ingress ports. The switch core can be configured to send a set of cells associated with the packet from the ingress port to an egress port from the set of egress ports without a store-and-forward delay associated with a zero-load latency for the switch core. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061241 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO FLOW CONTROL WITHIN A DATA CENTER SWITCH FABRIC - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a switch core that has a multi-stage switch fabric physically distributed among a set of chassis. The multi-stage switch fabric has a set of input buffers and a set of output ports. The switch core can be configured to be coupled to a set of edge devices. The apparatus can also include a controller implemented in hardware without software during operation and with software during configuration and monitoring. The controller can be coupled to the set of input buffers and the set of output ports. The controller can be configured to send a flow control signal to an input buffer from the set of input buffers when congestion at an output port from the set of output ports is predicted and before congestion in the switch core occurs. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061242 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A FLEXIBLE DATA CENTER SECURITY ARCHITECTURE - In one embodiment, edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a multi-stage switch fabric and peripheral processing devices. The edge devices and the multi-stage switch fabric can collectively define a single logical entity. A first edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a first peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The second edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a second peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The first edge device can be configured such that virtual resources including a first virtual resource can be defined at the first peripheral processing device. A network management module coupled to the edge devices and configured to provision the virtual resources such that the first virtual resource can be migrated from the first peripheral processing device to the second peripheral processing device. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061367 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO LOSSLESS OPERATION WITHIN A DATA CENTER - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a switch core that defines a single logical entity and has a multi-stage switch fabric that has a set of stages physically distributed across a set of chassis. The set of stages collectively has a set of ingress ports and a set of egress ports. The switch core can be configured to be coupled to a set of peripheral processing devices via the set of ingress ports and the set of egress ports. The switch core can be configured to admit a set of cells associated with a packet into an ingress port from the set of ingress ports when delivery of the set of cells can be substantially guaranteed without loss through the multi-stage switch fabric. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061389 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO VIRTUALIZATION OF DATA CENTER RESOURCES - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a switch core that has a multi-stage switch fabric. A first set of peripheral processing devices coupled to the multi-stage switch fabric by a set of connections that have a protocol. Each peripheral processing device from the first set of peripheral processing devices is a storage node that has virtualized resources. The virtualized resources of the first set of peripheral processing devices collectively define a virtual storage resource interconnected by the switch core. A second set of peripheral processing devices coupled to the multi-stage switch fabric by a set of connections that have the protocol. Each peripheral processing device from the first set of peripheral processing devices is a compute node that has virtualized resources. The virtualized resources of the second set of peripheral processing devices collectively define a virtual compute resource interconnected by the switch core. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061391 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A LOW COST DATA CENTER ARCHITECTURE - In one embodiment, an apparatus can include a first edge device that can have a packet processing module. The first edge device can be configured to receive a packet. The packet processing module of the first edge device can be configured to produce cells based on the packet. A second edge device can have a packet processing module configured to reassemble the packet based on the cells. A multi-stage switch fabric can be coupled to the first edge device and the second edge device. The multi-stage switch fabric can define a single logical entity. The multi-stage switch fabric can have switch modules. Each switch module from the switch modules can have a shared memory device. The multi-stage switch fabric can be configured to switch the cells so that the cells are sent to the second edge device. | 03-11-2010 |
20100061394 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO ANY-TO-ANY CONNECTIVITY WITHIN A DATA CENTER - In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a switch core that defines a single logical entity and has a multi-stage switch fabric physically distributed across a plurality of chassis. The multi-stage switch fabric has a plurality of ingress ports and a plurality of egress ports. The switch core is configured to be coupled to a plurality of peripheral processing devices via the plurality of ingress ports and the plurality of egress ports. The switch core is also configured to provide non-blocking connectivity at line rate between a first peripheral processing device disposed with a first chassis and a second peripheral processing device disposed within a second chassis. | 03-11-2010 |
20100165876 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTED DYNAMIC NETWORK PROVISIONING - In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a virtual resource hosted by a host device, selecting a configuration template associated with the virtual resource, and providing a provisioning instruction to a virtual switch module hosted by the host device based on the configuration template. The host device is operatively coupled to a network device. The detecting is at the network device; the selecting is at the network device; and the providing is at the network device. The virtual switch module is in communication with the virtual resource. The configuration template associated with the virtual resource is selected from a library of configuration templates accessible to the network device. | 07-01-2010 |
20110238816 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PROVISIONING RESOURCES WITHIN A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE OF A SWITCH - In some embodiments, a network management module is operatively coupled to a set of edge devices that are coupled to a set of peripheral processing devices. The network management module can receive a signal associated with a broadcast protocol from an edge device from the set of edge devices in response to that edge device being operatively coupled to a switch fabric. The network management module can provision that edge device in response to receiving the signal. The network management module can define multiple network control entities at the set of edge devices such that each network control entity from the multiple network control entities can provide forwarding-state information associated with at least one peripheral processing device from the set of peripheral processing devices to at least one remaining network control entity from the multiple network control entities using a selective protocol. | 09-29-2011 |
20120069842 | MULTICASTING WITHIN A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE OF A SWITCH - In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions configured to cause a processor to receive, from an access switch, a first signal including forwarding state information associated with a first peripheral processing device from a set of peripheral processing devices. The code can further represent instructions configured to cause the processor to receive, from the first peripheral processing device, a second signal including a data packet. The code can further represent instructions configured to cause the processor to send, to a replication engine associated with the set of peripheral processing devices, a third signal such that the replication engine (1) defines a copy of the data packet, which is included within the third signal, and (2) sends, to a second peripheral processing device from the set of peripheral processing devices, a fourth signal including the copy of the data packet. | 03-22-2012 |
20120155320 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT WITHIN A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE OF A SWITCH - In some embodiments, a switch fabric system includes multiple access switches configured to be operatively coupled to a switch fabric. The multiple access switches include multiple ports each to be operatively coupled to a peripheral processing device. A first set of ports from the multiple ports and a second set of ports from the multiple ports are managed by a first network control entity when the switch fabric system is in a first configuration. The first set of ports is managed by the first network control entity and the second set of ports is managed by a second network control entity when the switch fabric system is in a second configuration. The second network control entity is automatically initiated when the system is changed from the first configuration to the second configuration. | 06-21-2012 |
20120155453 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A SWITCH FABRIC SYSTEM HAVING A MULTI-HOP DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE AND A SINGLE-HOP DATA PLANE - In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a compute device to communicate with a network control entity at each access switch from a set of access switches that define a portion of a data plane having a switch fabric coupling as hierarchical peers each access switch from the set of access switches. The compute device is operable to define a portion of a control plane that includes the network control entities from the set of access switches such that the compute device is hierarchically removed from the network control entities from the set of access switches. The compute device is operable to receive forwarding-state information from a first access switch from the set of access switches. The compute device to send the forwarding-state information to a second access switch from the set of access switches. | 06-21-2012 |
20120158930 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING NEXT HOP IDENTIFIERS IN A DISTRIBUTED SWITCH FABRIC SYSTEM - In some embodiments, an apparatus implemented in a memory and/or a processing device includes a first network control entity to manage a first data plane module associated with a port from a set of ports at a first access switch. The first network control entity associates an identifier of a peripheral processing device operatively coupled to the port from the set of ports with a next hop reference. The first network control entity provides the next hop reference to a second network control entity that manages a second data plane module at a second access switch such that the second data plane module can append the next hop reference to a data packet when the peripheral processing device is within a data path between and including the second access switch and a destination peripheral processing device. | 06-21-2012 |
20120158942 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FORWARDING-STATE TRANSPORT IN A DISTRIBUTED CONTROL PLANE - In some embodiments, a system includes a first network control entity, a second network control entity and a third network control entity. The first network control entity and the second network control entity are associated with a first network segment. The third network control entity is associated with a second network segment. The first network control entity is operable to send to the second network control entity an identifier of the first network segment and forwarding-state information associated with a data port at a first network element. The second network control entity is operable to receive the identifier of the first network segment and the forwarding-state information. The second network control entity is operable to send the forwarding-state information to a second network element. The first network control entity does not send the identifier of the first network segment and the forwarding-state information to the third network control entity. | 06-21-2012 |
20130003726 | METHODS AND APPARATUS RELATED TO A FLEXIBLE DATA CENTER SECURITY ARCHITECTURE - In one embodiment, edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a multi-stage switch fabric and peripheral processing devices. The edge devices and the multi-stage switch fabric can collectively define a single logical entity. A first edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a first peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The second edge device from the edge devices can be configured to be coupled to a second peripheral processing device from the peripheral processing devices. The first edge device can be configured such that virtual resources including a first virtual resource can be defined at the first peripheral processing device. A network management module coupled to the edge devices and configured to provision the virtual resources such that the first virtual resource can be migrated from the first peripheral processing device to the second peripheral processing device. | 01-03-2013 |