Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090292813 | Address Assignment in Fibre Channel Over Ethernet Environments - A method of initializing a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) link between a Fibre Channel over Ethernet node (ENode) and Fibre Channel Forwarders (FCFs) in a network by discovering the presence of FCFs available to the ENode and other FCFs, assigning second MAC addresses to the ENode corresponding to each available FCF, and converting from a management and initialization process using the first MAC address to normal Fibre Channel operation using the second MAC addresses. The implementations described herein may additionally distinguish management and initialization processes from normal Fibre Channel operation using separate Ethertypes. | 11-26-2009 |
20100011114 | PROXYING MULTIPLE TARGETS AS A VIRTUAL TARGET USING IDENTIFIER RANGES - A gateway includes a Fibre Channel (“FC”) port configured to couple to multiple FC targets, and an iSCSI port configured to couple to an iSCSI initiator. The iSCSI port is configured to facilitate communication between the FC targets and the iSCSI initiator, and proxy the multiple FC targets as a virtual iSCSI target. The iSCSI port is also configured to divide the Logical Unit Number (“LUN”) range into a plurality of subdivided LUN ranges, and associate the FC targets with the subdivided LUN ranges. | 01-14-2010 |
20100214950 | HIGH AVAILABILITY AND MULTIPATHING FOR FIBRE CHANNEL OVER ETHERNET - A physical Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) switch defines a multipath virtual FCoE switch to provide uninterrupted storage access between N_PORTs of an FCoE host and a Fibre Channel (FC) storage target, for example, in response to an F_PORT failure. Through the multipath virtual FCoE switch, the fabric is configured with multiple physical paths available between the FCoE hosts and FC targets. The multipath virtual FCoE switch is defined between or among multiple physical FCoE switches coupled to the Ethernet fabric. One of the F_PORTs is designated as being in the primary FCoE path, while any other F_PORTs sharing the virtual FCoE switch are reserved for standby paths in case the primary FCoE path is disabled. When a failure to a primary FCoE path is detected, a standby path is promoted to become a new primary FCoE path and subsequent traffic is routed in both directions through the new primary FCoE path. | 08-26-2010 |
20110268120 | FABRIC SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes one or more ports on the switch configured to transmit packets encapsulated based on a first protocol. The switch further includes a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism forms a logical switch based on a second protocol, receives an automatically assigned identifier for the logical switch without requiring manual configuration of the identifier, and joins a Ethernet fabric. | 11-03-2011 |
20110268125 | VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes one or more ports on the switch configured to transmit packets encapsulated based on a first protocol. The switch further includes a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism forms a logical switch based on a second protocol, receives an automatically assigned identifier for the logical switch without requiring manual configuration of the identifier, and joins a virtual cluster switch. | 11-03-2011 |
20110280572 | CONVERGED NETWORK EXTENSION - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a first port configured to receive Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) traffic; a second port configured to receive Fibre Channel (FC) traffic; and a third port configured to transmit received TRILL or FC traffic based on a Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) protocol. | 11-17-2011 |
20110292947 | DISTRIBUTED CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port to couple to a second switch. The switch also includes a control mechanism configured to maintain a set of configuration information for a virtual cluster switch which includes a number of member switches. The set of configuration information includes global configuration information for the virtual cluster switch and switch-specific configuration information for one or more member switches. In addition, the set of configuration information is replicated and stored at each member switch. | 12-01-2011 |
20110299391 | TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes one or more ports on the switch configured to transmit packets encapsulated based on a first protocol. The switch further includes a traffic management mechanism and a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism forms a logical switch based on a second protocol, receives an automatically assigned identifier for the logical switch without requiring manual configuration of the identifier, and joins a virtual cluster switch. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299402 | ADVANCED LINK TRACKING FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes a port that couples to a server hosting a number of virtual machines. The switch also includes a link tracking module. During operation, the link tracking module determines that reachability to at least one end host coupled to a virtual cluster switch of which the switch is a member is disrupted. The link tracking module then determines that at least one virtual machine coupled to the port is affected by the disrupted reachability, and communicates to the server hosting the affected virtual machine about the disrupted reachability. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299406 | PATH DETECTION IN TRILL NETWORKS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for detecting a path between two nodes. During operation, the system transmits a network-testing request frame, which includes a time-to-live (TTL) field within a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header, from a source node to a destination node. In response to receiving a network-testing response frame sent from an intermediate node, the system increments the TTL value by 1 and re-transmits the network-testing frame to the destination node. In response to receiving a network-testing response frame sent from the destination node, the system determines a path between the source node and the destination node. The network-testing request or response frames is not processed on an Internet Protocol (IP) layer. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299409 | REACHABILITY DETECTION IN TRILL NETWORKS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for testing reachability between two nodes within a network. During operation, the system transmits a network-testing request frame from a source node to a destination node, and in response to receiving a network-testing response frame corresponding to the request frame, the system determines reachability of the destination node. The network-testing request or response frame is not processed on an Internet Protocol (IP) layer. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299413 | PORT PROFILE MANAGEMENT FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes a port profile which specifies a set of port configuration information. During operation, a control mechanism within the switch detects a source MAC address of an incoming frame and determines that the MAC address is associated with the port profile. The control mechanism then applies the port profile to a switch port on which the frame is received. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299534 | VIRTUAL PORT GROUPING FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port that couples to a server hosting a number of virtual machines. The switch also includes a set of virtual port grouping information and a virtual port grouping mechanism. During operation, the virtual port grouping mechanism determines whether a frame is traveling from a virtual port group to the same virtual port group. If the frame is not traveling to the same virtual port group, the virtual port grouping mechanism prevents the frame from being forwarded. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299535 | NAME SERVICES FOR VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch that facilitates name services in a virtual cluster switch. The switch includes a name service database indicating at least one media access control (MAC) address learned at a second switch. The switch also includes a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism distributes information on a locally learned MAC address to the second switch. In addition, the control mechanism receives information on a MAC address learned at the second switch. | 12-08-2011 |
20110299536 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LINK AGGREGATION ACROSS MULTIPLE SWITCHES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a forwarding mechanism and a control mechanism. During operation, the forwarding mechanism forwards frames based on their Ethernet headers. The control mechanism operates the switch in conjunction with a separate physical switch as a single logical switch and assigns a virtual switch identifier to the logical switch, wherein the virtual switch identifier is associated with a link aggregation group. | 12-08-2011 |
20120016973 | CONFIGURATION ORCHESTRATION - One embodiment of the present invention provides a network device that facilitates configuration orchestration. During operation, the system interprets a configuration command and stores a data structure representing a set of business logic. The business logic can be triggered by the configuration command, a local condition, or both. Furthermore, the system configures the switch according to an outcome of the business logic. | 01-19-2012 |
20120106957 | Single Virtual Domain Fibre Channel over Ethernet Fabric - The entire FCoE fabric is a single virtual domain, even though there may be multiple FCFs and FDFs. The virtual domain is a different Domain_ID than any of the FCFs. In certain embodiments there are multiple FCFs, of which one is selected as the master or designated FCF. The master FCF performs normal fabric configuration in conjunction with the Fibre Channel fabric. The master FCF assigns the virtual domain FC node IDs and controls development of subdomain IDs. Virtual links are instantiated between the master FCF and other FCFs, between top level FDFs and the FCFs and between the FDFs at each of various levels. FDFs connected to ENodes proxy the master FCF for most FIP operations. FIP FLOGI and FDISC operations are handled by the master FDF, but the FDFs convert the FIP FLOGI requests to VD_FLOGI requests, which include information about the FDF handling the transaction. | 05-03-2012 |
20120281700 | LAYER-3 SUPPORT IN TRILL NETWORKS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes an IP header processor and a forwarding mechanism. The IP header processor identifies a destination IP address in a packet encapsulated with an inner Ethernet header, a TRILL header, and an outer Ethernet header. The forwarding mechanism determines an output port and constructs a new header for the packet based on the destination IP address. The switch also includes a packet processor which determines whether (1) an inner destination media access control (MAC) address corresponds to a local MAC address assigned to the switch; (2) a destination RBridge identifier corresponds to a local RBridge identifier assigned to the switch; and (3) an outer destination MAC address corresponds to the local MAC address. | 11-08-2012 |
20130003738 | TRILL BASED ROUTER REDUNDANCY - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switching system. The switching system includes a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header processor and an Internet Protocol (IP) header processor. The TRILL header processor is configured to identify a virtual routing bridge (RBridge) identifier in a packet, and the IP header processor is configured to identify a virtual IP address in the packet. The virtual IP address is assigned to a virtual IP router associated with the virtual RBridge identifier. | 01-03-2013 |
20130003747 | EFFICIENT TRILL FORWARDING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a storage and a lookup mechanism. The storage stores a first table that contains an entry corresponding to a media access control (MAC) address of a device and an identifier of a remote switch associated with the device. The storage also stores a second table that contains an entry indicating a local outgoing interface corresponding to the remote switch. The lookup mechanism identifies the local outgoing interface corresponding to the device based on the first table and the second table. | 01-03-2013 |
20130114600 | INTEGRATED FIBRE CHANNEL SUPPORT IN AN ETHERNET FABRIC SWITCH - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a packet processor and a device management module. During operation, the packet processor constructs a notification message containing a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) Routing Bridge (RBridge) identifier associated with a Fibre Channel router. The device management module operates in conjunction with the packet processor and terminates TRILL forwarding for a received TRILL packet with the RBridge identifier as an egress RBridge identifier. | 05-09-2013 |
20130191831 | TRANSPARENT HIGH AVAILABILITY FOR STATEFUL SERVICES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system. The system includes a high availability module and a data transformation module. During operation, the high availability module identifies a modified object belonging to an application in a second system. A modification to the modified object is associated with a transaction identifier. The high availability module also identifies a local object corresponding to the modified object associated with a standby application corresponding to the application in the second system. The data transformation module automatically transforms the value of the modified object to a value assignable to the local object, including pointer conversion to point to equivalent object of the second system. The high availability module updates the current value of the local object with the transformed value. | 07-25-2013 |
20130223449 | DYNAMIC SERVICE INSERTION IN A FABRIC SWITCH - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a service management module and a packet processor. During operation, the service management module identifies a service provided by an appliance coupled to the switch via a local port. The packet processor constructs a notification message for a remote switch. The notification message includes information about the service and the appliance. In this way, the switch allows the remote switch to request the service. | 08-29-2013 |
20130308649 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR LINK AGGREGATION ACROSS MULTIPLE SWITCHES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a forwarding mechanism and a control mechanism. During operation, the forwarding mechanism forwards frames based on their Ethernet headers. The control mechanism operates the switch in conjunction with a separate physical switch as a single logical switch and assigns a virtual switch identifier to the logical switch, wherein the virtual switch identifier is associated with a link aggregation group. | 11-21-2013 |
20140056298 | GLOBAL VLANS FOR FABRIC SWITCHES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a virtual local area network (VLAN) configuration module. During operation, the VLAN configuration module maps local resources of the switch and/or locally coupled end device information to a global VLAN identifier, wherein the global VLAN is persistent across a fabric switch. The fabric switch is operable to accommodate a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch. | 02-27-2014 |
20140140199 | VIRTUAL LINK AGGREGATIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE FABRIC SWITCHES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch is configurable to be a member of a first fabric switch. The switch includes a link aggregation module. During operation, the link aggregation module marks an ingress-switch field of a frame with a virtual switch identifier. This virtual switch identifier is associated with the switch and a second switch, which is a member of a second fabric switch, and is from a range of identifier associated with the first fabric switch and the second fabric switch. Each of the first fabric switch and the second fabric switch is operable to accommodate a plurality of switches and operate as a single switch. | 05-22-2014 |
20140160988 | VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes one or more ports on the switch configured to transmit packets encapsulated based on a first protocol. The switch further includes a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism forms a logical switch based on a second protocol, receives an automatically assigned identifier for the logical switch without requiring manual configuration of the identifier, and joins a virtual cluster switch. | 06-12-2014 |
20140241364 | EFFICIENT TRILL FORWARDING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a storage and a lookup mechanism. The storage stores a first table that contains an entry corresponding to a media access control (MAC) address of a device and an identifier of a remote switch associated with the device. The storage also stores a second table that contains an entry indicating a local outgoing interface corresponding to the remote switch. The lookup mechanism identifies the local outgoing interface corresponding to the device based on the first table and the second table. | 08-28-2014 |
20140362686 | TECHNIQUES FOR END-TO-END NETWORK BANDWIDTH OPTIMIZATION USING SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKING - Techniques for end-to-end network bandwidth optimization using software defined networking are provided. In one embodiment, a computer system can receive information regarding a flow to be admitted to a network, where the flow is associated with a source and a destination. The computer system can further calculate, for each path in a plurality of paths between the source and the destination, a projected utilization of the path in view of the flow. If the projected utilization of the shortest path in the plurality of paths is less than or equal to a target utilization threshold, the computer system can assign the flow to the shortest path. Otherwise, the computer system can select a path in the plurality of paths that comes closest to the target utilization threshold without exceeding the threshold and can assign the flow to that selected path. | 12-11-2014 |