# US 2026/0100905 A1 · Data storage node employing destination-mode macvlan driver for network port sharing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0100905 A1 - Document ID: US20260100905A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/907,868 - Filed: 2024-10-07 - Published: 2026-04-09 - Earliest claimed: 2024-10-07 - Assignees: Dell Products L.P. - Applicants: Dell Products L.P. - Inventors: Ishay Zekri; Marina Shem Tov - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260100905A1 ## CPC - H04L 45/74: Address processing for routing - H04L 12/4675: {Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes (configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08)} - H04L 45/46: {Cluster building} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A storage processing node of a data storage appliance in a storage cluster has a network port connected to a network for host access and appliance inter-communication. A storage network component of the node is coupled to the network port using a first MACVLAN driver having a first MAC address, and a cluster network component node is coupled to the network port using a second MACVLAN driver, a bond component, and a third MACVLAN driver, the second MACVLAN driver having a second MAC address. The third MACVLAN driver is operated in a Destination mode to (1) maintain a list of MAC addresses, including the second MAC address, for network traffic forwarding, and (2) based on the inclusion of the second MAC address in the list, forward network traffic containing the second MAC address to the bond component for forwarding to the second MACVLAN driver and the cluster network component. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a data storage node of a data storage appliance in a multi-appliance data storage cluster, the storage node having a physical network port connected to a physical network via which the appliances of the data storage cluster are accessed by host computers as data storage clients, and via which the appliances communicate for cluster management purposes, the method comprising: functionally coupling a storage network component of the storage node to the physical network port using a first MACVLAN driver, the first MACVLAN driver having a link-layer interface to the storage network component using a first MAC address, and operating the first MACVLAN driver to receive, from the physical network port, first network traffic containing the first MAC address as destination address and to deliver the first network traffic to the storage network component; and functionally coupling a cluster network component of the storage node to the physical network port using a second MACVLAN driver, a bond component, and a third MACVLAN driver, the second MACVLAN driver having a link-layer interface to the cluster network component using a second MAC address, the bond component serving as a base device for the second MACVLAN driver and operative to forward second network traffic received from the physical network port thereto, the third MACVLAN driver being operated in a Destination mode to (1) maintain a list of MAC addresses for which the second network traffic is to be forwarded, the list including the second MAC address, and (2) based on the inclusion of the second MAC address in the list, forward the second network traffic containing the second MAC address as destination address to the bond component for forwarding to the second MACVLAN driver and delivery to the cluster network component. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first MACVLAN driver is operated in a Bridge mode providing for packet exchange among MACVLAN drivers connected to a shared physical network port, and wherein operating the third MACVLAN driver in the Destination mode enables the use of the Bridge-mode first MACVLAN while preventing delivery of the first network traffic to the cluster network component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the first MACVLAN driver is one of a set of first MACVLAN drivers functionally coupling respective network components to the physical network port, the first MACVLAN drivers being operated in the Bridge mode providing for packet exchange among the first MACVLAN drivers while the third MACVLAN driver operated in the Destination mode prevents the packet exchange from extending to the cluster network component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the network components include an internet small-computer system interface (iSCSI) component and a nonvolatile memory express over transmission control protocol (NVMe/TCP) component. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second MACVLAN driver is one of a set of second MACVLAN drivers functionally coupling respective cluster network components to the physical network port via the bond component and third MACVLAN driver, and wherein the list of MAC addresses for which the second network traffic is to be forwarded includes respective second MAC addresses of the second MACVLAN drivers, and based on the inclusion of the second MAC addresses in the list, the third MACVLAN driver forwards network traffic containing the second MAC addresses as destination addresses to the bond component for forwarding to the second MACVLAN drivers and delivery to the respective cluster network components. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the cluster network components include a cluster management component for managing cluster-related operation of the data storage appliances, and a software-defined network attached storage (SDNAS) component for SDNAS-related operation of the cluster. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the bond component is a cluster bond component, and the MACVLAN drivers are functionally coupled to the physical network as well as an additional physical network port via a system bond. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the system bond is operated in a link-aggregating manner providing one or more of load balancing and fault tolerance using the physical network ports. ### Claim 9 A data storage node of a data storage appliance for use in a multi-appliance data storage cluster, the data storage node having a physical network port for connection to a physical network via which the appliances of the data storage cluster are accessed by host computers as data storage clients, and via which the appliances communicate for cluster management purposes, the data storage node being a computerized device configured and arranged to store and execute computer program instructions to: functionally couple a storage network component of the data storage node to the physical network port using a first MACVLAN driver, the first MACVLAN driver having a link-layer interface to the storage network component using a first MAC address, and operate the first MACVLAN driver to receive, from the physical network port, first network traffic containing the first MAC address as destination address and to deliver the first network traffic to the storage network component; and functionally couple a cluster network component of the storage node to the physical network port using a second MACVLAN driver, a bond component, and a third MACVLAN driver, the second MACVLAN driver having a link-layer interface to the cluster network component using a second MAC address, and the bond component serving as a base device for the second MACVLAN driver and operative to forward second network traffic received from the physical network port thereto, and operate the third MACVLAN driver in a Destination mode to (1) maintain a list of MAC addresses for which the second network traffic is to be forwarded, the list including the second MAC address, and (2) based on the inclusion of the second MAC address in the list, forward the second network traffic containing the second MAC address as destination address to the bond component for forwarding to the second MACVLAN driver and delivery to the cluster network component. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The data storage node of claim 9, wherein the first MACVLAN driver is operable in a Bridge mode generally providing for packet exchange among MACVLAN drivers connected to a shared physical network port, and wherein operating the third MACVLAN driver in the Destination mode enables the use of the bridge-mode first MACVLAN while preventing delivery of the first network traffic to the cluster network component. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The data storage node of claim 10, wherein the first MACVLAN driver is one of a set of first MACVLAN drivers functionally coupling respective network components to the physical network port, the first MACVLAN drivers being operable in the Bridge mode providing for packet exchange among the first MACVLAN drivers while the third MACVLAN driver operated in the Destination mode prevents the packet exchange from extending to the cluster network component. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The data storage node of claim 11, wherein the network components include an internet small-computer system interconnect (iSCSI) component and a nonvolatile memory express over transmission control protocol (NVMe/TCP) component. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The data storage node of claim 9, wherein the second MACVLAN driver is one of a set of second MACVLAN drivers functionally coupling respective cluster network components to the physical network port via the bond component and third MACVLAN driver, and wherein the list of MAC addresses for which the second network traffic is to be forwarded includes respective second MAC addresses of the second MACVLAN drivers, and based on the inclusion of the second MAC addresses in the list, the third MACVAN driver forwards network traffic containing the second MAC addresses as destination addresses to the bond component for forwarding to the second MACVLAN drivers and delivery to the respective cluster network components. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The data storage node of claim 13, wherein the cluster network components include a cluster management component for managing cluster-related operation of the data storage appliances, and a software-defined network attached storage (SDNAS) component for SDNAS-related operation of the cluster. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The data storage node of claim 9. wherein the bond component is a cluster bond component, and the MACVLAN drivers are functionally coupled to the physical network as well as an additional physical network port via a system bond. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The data storage node of claim 15, wherein the system bond is operated in a link-aggregating manner providing one or more of load balancing and fault tolerance using the physical network ports.