Virtual switch fabrics in converged networks
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsRamesh Kumar Subbiah, Vibin Varghese
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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 first switch configured to operate in a switch fabric that transfers first data units between computer nodes, the switch fabric comprising a plurality of switches comprising the first switch, each first data unit comprising a Fibre Channel (FC) frame, each switch being operable to forward the first data units based on FC identifiers (FCIDs) in the FC frames in the first data units, the switch fabric having one or more virtual switch fabrics (vfabrics), each switch being assigned a Domain ID in each vfabric in which the switch is configured to forward first data units, the Domain IDs being assignable in execution of a first Domain ID assignment protocol, each vfabric being extendible, in a vfabric extension process, to a switch which did not previously participate in the vfabric and did not previously have a Domain ID in the vfabric, wherein the vfabric extension process assigns, to the not previously participating switch, a Domain ID associated with the vfabric.
A switch fabric comprising one or more switches interconnecting computer nodes, each first data unit comprising a Fibre Channel (FC) frame, each switch being operable to forward the first data units based on FC identifiers (FCIDs) in the FC frames in the first data units, the switch fabric having one or more virtual switch fabrics (vfabrics), each switch being assigned a Domain ID in each vfabric in which the switch is configured to forward the first data units, the Domain IDs being assignable in execution of a first Domain ID assignment protocol, each vfabric being extendible, in a vfabric extension process, to a switch which did not previously participate in the vfabric and did not previously have a Domain ID in the vfabric, wherein the vfabric extension process assigns, to the not previously participating switch, a Domain ID associated with the vfabric.
A method for operating a switch fabric that transfers first data units between computer nodes, the switch fabric comprising a plurality of switches comprising a first switch, each first data unit comprising a Fibre Channel (FC) frame, the method comprising:
- forwarding, by each switch, the first data units based on FC identifiers (FCIDs) in the FC frames in the first data units, the switch fabric having one or more virtual switch fabrics (vfabrics), each switch being assigned a Domain ID in each vfabric in which the switch is configured to forward first data units, the Domain IDs being assignable in execution of a first Domain ID assignment protocol, each vfabric being extendible, in a vfabric extension process, to a switch which did not previously participate in the vfabric and did not previously have a Domain ID in the vfabric, wherein the vfabric extension process assigns, to the not previously participating switch, a Domain ID associated with the vfabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.