Virtual switch fabrics in converged networks
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsRamesh Kumar Subbiah, Vibin Varghese
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) network can be inexpensively extended by additional switches (220x) that do not have a full FCoE functionality, e.g. do not have full E-port functionality. The additional switches may or may not have unique Domain IDs. A virtual switch fabric can be extended by such additional switches.
Claims20
A method comprising data transfer between computer nodes in a computer network comprising a plurality of switches and a virtual switch fabric (vfabric) comprising a plurality of switch ports which are ports of said switches and which are interconnected by one or more inter-switch communication links (ISLs), at least two switch ports belonging to respective different switches of the plurality of switches, wherein each switch is operable to forward first data units sent by the computer nodes whose ports are connected to the switches, the ports of the computer nodes operating according to a first protocol in which each port of the computer nodes is identified by a first address comprising a domain ID portion for carrying a domain ID which is a logical address identifying, in the vfabric, a switch to which the port is connected;
- wherein the vfabric's switch ports connected to ISLs comprise one or more first-type ports and comprise second-type ports, each first-type port being configured to execute a domain ID assignment process performed when at least some of the switches discover each other, each second-type port not being configured to execute the domain ID assignment process;
- wherein the plurality of switches comprises one or more first-type switches whose domain IDs were assigned in the domain ID assignment process, and comprises one or more second-type switches whose domain IDs were not assigned in the domain ID assignment process, each second-type switch being identified, in the vfabric, by a virtual fabric extension ID (vX ID) included in first addresses of one or more computer node ports connected to the second-type switch, the vX ID being defined in a first address via at least one bit outside of the domain ID portion of the first address;
- wherein each communication link is operable to carry second data units according to a second protocol, with each second data unit comprising a second address identifying an end of the communication link;
- wherein each communication link is operable to carry first data units encapsulated into second data units;
- wherein for at least one first data unit sent from a computer node's port connected to a first port which is a switch port of the virtual switch fabric, to a computer node's port connected to a second port which is a switch port of the virtual switch fabric, at least one switch forwards the at least one first data unit based on a virtual fabric extension ID of the at least one first data unit's first address.
A first switch configured to operate in a computer network to transfer data between computer nodes, the computer network comprising a plurality of switches comprising the first switch, and comprising a virtual switch fabric (vfabric) comprising a plurality of switch ports which are ports of said switches and which are interconnected by one or more inter-switch communication links (ISLs), at least two switch ports belonging to respective different switches of the plurality of switches, wherein each switch is operable to forward first data units sent by the computer nodes whose ports are connected to the switches, the ports of the computer nodes operating according to a first protocol in which each port of the computer nodes is identified by a first address comprising a domain ID portion for carrying a domain ID which is a logical address identifying, in the vfabric, a switch to which the port is connected;
- wherein the vfabric's switch ports connected to ISLs comprise one or more first-type ports and comprise second-type ports, each first-type port being configured to execute a domain ID assignment process performed when at least some of the switches discover each other, each second-type port not being configured to execute the domain ID assignment process;
- wherein the plurality of switches comprises one or more first-type switches whose domain IDs were assigned in the domain ID assignment process, and comprises one or more second-type switches whose domain IDs were not assigned in the domain ID assignment process, each second-type switch being identified, in the vfabric, by a virtual fabric extension ID (vX ID) included in first addresses of one or more computer node ports connected to the second-type switch, the vX ID being defined in a first address via at least one bit outside of the domain ID portion of the first address;
- wherein each communication link is operable to carry second data units according to a second protocol, with each second data unit comprising a second address identifying an end of the communication link;
- wherein each communication link is operable to carry first data units encapsulated into second data units;
- wherein for at least one first data unit sent from a computer node's port connected to a first port which is a switch port of the virtual switch fabric to a computer node's port connected to a second port which is a switch port of the virtual switch fabric, the first switch forwards the at least one first data unit based on a virtual fabric extension ID of the at least one first data unit's first address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.