Method and Apparatus for Connectivity Control in a Data Center Network
AssigneePlexxi Inc.
InventorDenis H. deRuijter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data center network that employs an optical network having optical nodes arranged in a ring topology uses a method of topography discovery and maintenance so that connectivity can be maintained and node failures, link failures, end stations being discovered on the network, etc., can be handled without impacting network performance.
Claims23
A computer-implemented method of maintaining connectivity of nodes in a network, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a first node in the network, a first message directed in a first direction along a supervisor channel from a source node, the first message comprising an ordered list of active nodes and a first field;
- determining, at the first node, if the first field is set to a first value or a second value;
- if the first field is set to the first value then forwarding the first message from the first node in the first direction along the supervisor channel;
- if the first field is set to the second value then:
- determining, at the first node, whether the source node immediately precedes the first node in the ordered list of active nodes and if so, forwarding the first message from the first node in the first direction along the supervisor channel, otherwise:
- sending, from the first node, an update message in a second direction, opposite the first direction, along the supervisor channel to the source node;
- modifying, at the first node, the first message by changing the first field to the first value and forwarding, from the first node, the modified first message in the first direction along the supervisor channel,
- wherein the update message indicates that the ordered list of active nodes is incorrect.
A computer-implemented method of confirming the successful transmission of information from an originating node, in a ring network of nodes, to all other active nodes in the network, the method comprising:
- obtaining a list of the active nodes, and a corresponding topography of the active nodes, in the ring network;
- calculating a first check value as a function of the topography of the active nodes from the originating node around the ring network in a first direction;
- and
- calculating a second check value as a function of the topography of the active nodes from the originating node around the ring network in a second direction;
- sending, from the originating node, first and second source messages in the first and second directions, respectively;
- receiving, from a last active node on the ring network, first and second return messages in response to the first and second source messages, respectively;
- comparing a payload in the first return message to the calculated first check value;
- comparing a payload in the second return message to the calculated second check value;
- and
- determining that the information was successfully transmitted to all active nodes in the ring network upon determining that the payloads of the first and second return messages each comprises the first and second check values, respectively.
In an active node on a ring network of nodes, a computer-implemented method of confirming the successful transmission of information from an originating node to all other active nodes in the network, the method comprising:
- at the active node in the ring network:
- receiving a first source message in a first direction from an originating node in the network;
- calculating a first value as a function of the topography of the active nodes located between the originating node and the respective active node in the first direction from the originating node to the respective active node;
- modifying the first source message by inserting the calculated first value in a payload of the first source message;
- and
- sending the modified first source message in the first direction to a next active node in the ring network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.