Failover mechanism with minimized packet losses

A system for implementing a shared Ethernet adapter (SEA) failover comprising:

• first shared SEA;
• a first switch coupled to the first SEA;
• a second SEA;
• a second switch coupled to the second SEA;
• a processor;
• a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
• receive a first address resolution protocol (ARP) packet at a first shared Ethernet adapter (SEA) coupled to a first switch;
• parse, by the first SEA, a first MAC address and VLAN ID (VID) corresponding to the first ARP packet;
• transmit the first MAC address and VID to a second SEA coupled to a second switch;
• detect that the first SEA has transitioned from a primary configuration to an inactive configuration and that the second SEA has transitioned from a backup configuration to the primary configuration;
• and
• responsive to the detection, transmit a reverse ARP packet to the second switch coupled to the second SEA notifying the second switch that the first SEA has transitioned to an inactive configuration and that the second SEA has transitioned to an active configuration;
• and
• configure the first switch to forward any subsequent packets to the second switch rather than the first SEA.

A computer program product for implementing a shared Ethernet adapter (SEA) failover, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
• receive a first address resolution protocol (ARP) packet at a first shared Ethernet adapter (SEA) coupled to a first switch;
• parse, by the first SEA, a first MAC address and VLAN ID (VID) corresponding to the first ARP packet;
• transmit the first MAC address and VID to a second SEA coupled to a second switch;
• update a local table with the first MAC address and VID;
• detect that the first SEA has transitioned from a primary configuration to an inactive configuration and that the second SEA has transitioned from a backup configuration to the primary configuration;
• and
• responsive to the detection, transmit a reverse ARP packet to the second switch coupled to the second SEA notifying the second switch that the first SEA has transitioned to an inactive configuration and that the second SEA has transitioned to an active configuration;
• and
• configure the first switch to forward any subsequent packets to the second switch rather than the first SEA.