Port aggregation for fibre channel interfaces
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsKalyan Ghosh, Praveen Jain, Shankar Subramaniam, Rajesh Bhandari, Prabesh Nanjundaiah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to the present invention, methods and apparatus are provided to allow efficient and effective aggregation of ports into port channels in a fibre channel network. A local fibre channel switch can automatically identify compatible ports and initiate exchange sequences with a remote fibre channel switch to aggregate ports into port channels. Ports can be aggregated synchronously to allow consistent generation of port channel map tables.
Claims30
A method for aggregating ports in a fibre channel fabric, the method comprising:
- determining that a plurality of local ports at a local fibre channel switch are compatible;
- sending identifiers for the plurality of local ports to a remote fibre channel switch, wherein the remote fibre channel switch determines if a plurality of remote ports are compatible, the plurality of remote ports corresponding to the plurality of local ports;
- receiving an indication that one or more of the remote physical ports are compatible;
- creating a port channel including one or more of the local ports corresponding to the compatible remote ports.
A fibre channel switch, comprising:
- memory;
- a plurality of local ports coupled to a remote fibre channel switch through a plurality of remote ports;
- a processor configured to determine that a subset of the plurality of local ports at a local fibre channel switch are compatible and send identifiers for the subset of the plurality of local ports to a remote fibre channel switch, wherein the remote fibre channel switch determines if a subset of the plurality of remote ports are compatible, the subset of the plurality of remote ports corresponding to the subset of the plurality of local ports.
A fibre channel network, comprising:
- a local fibre channel switch including a plurality of local ports;
- a remote fibre channel switch including a plurality of remote port;
- wherein the local fibre channel switch aggregates a compatible subset of the plurality of local ports and sends identifiers for the compatible subset of the plurality of local ports to the remote fibre channel switch, wherein the remote fibre channel switch determines if a subset of the plurality of remote ports are compatible, the subset of the plurality of remote ports corresponding to the compatible subset of the plurality of local ports.
An apparatus for aggregating physical ports in a fibre channel fabric, the apparatus comprising:
- means for determining that a plurality of local ports at a local fibre channel switch are compatible;
- means for sending identifiers for the plurality of local ports to a remote fibre channel switch, wherein the remote fibre channel switch determines if a plurality of remote ports are compatible, the plurality of remote port corresponding to the plurality of local ports;
- means for receiving an indication that two or more of the remote physical ports are compatible;
- means for creating a port channel including two or more of the local ports corresponding to the compatible remote ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.