Methods and apparatus for fiber channel interconnection of private loop devices

A method for routing frames between a private loop device on a first Arbitrated Loop and one or more private loop devices on at least a second Arbitrated Loop via a private loop interconnect system having a plurality of ports, each port containing a port control module, the port containing an active L.sub.-- Port, comprising the steps of:

• receiving frames over the first Arbitrated Loop at a connected port of a Fiber Channel private loop device interconnect system, and filtering said frames by:
• (1) forwarding the frame on the first Arbitrated Loop if it has an address on the first Arbitrated Loop and
• (2) generating at a port control module an "open" response on the first Arbitrated Loop, if the address is not on the first Arbitrated Loop.

A method for configuring multiple Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loops of private loop devices, each private loop device on an Arbitrated Loop having a domain and area address value of zero and an Arbitrated Loop Physical Address (ALPA), comprising the steps of:

• dividing the ALPAs into non-overlapping sets,
• assigning each set to a separate physical Arbitrated Loop, and
• during loop initialization, restricting the attached private loop devices to choose from the assigned set.

A method for operation of an interconnection system, the system including more than one Arbitrated Loop, at least one loop containing storage and one loop containing a non-storage device, the devices attached to the loops being private loop devices, the loops being connected to a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system, comprising the steps of:

• detecting an addition of a storage device to a first Arbitrated Loop, and
• resetting by transmitting a Loop Initialization Primitive (LIP) on all of the ports having Arbitrated Loops which include a non-storage device but not transmitting a Loop Initialization Primitive (LIP) on the ports having Arbitrated Loops containing only storage devices.

A method for operation of an interconnection system, the system including more than one Arbitrated Loop, at least one loop adapted to contain a storage device and one loop containing a non-storage device, the devices attached to the loops being private loop devices, the loops being connected to a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system, the private loop device interconnect system including a plurality of ports, each port containing a port control module, the port control module containing an active L.sub.-- Port, comprising the steps of:

• receiving PLOGI I/O probes at a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system,
• performing address lookup for the received PLOGI I/O probes, and if a match exists in the lookup,
• routing I/O probes to private loop devices on the Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system.

A method for operation of an interconnection system, the system including more than one Arbitrated Loop, at least one loop adapted to contain a storage device and one loop containing a non-storage device, the devices attached to the loops being private loop devices, the loops being connected to a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system, the interconnect system containing a controller comprising the steps of:

• receiving PLOGI I/O probes at a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system,
• performing address lookup for the received PLOGI I/O probes, and
• routing the I/O probes to the Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system controller and returning a Link Service Reject (LS.sub.-- RJT) if either no match is found upon address lookup or if a match is found upon address lookup, but no device with the destination ALPA exists on the Arbitrated Loop corresponding to the destination.

A method for operation of an interconnection system, the system including at least a first Arbitrated Loop and a second Arbitrated Loop, each of the first Arbitrated Loop and second Arbitrated Loop having private loop devices attached to the Loops, the Private Loop Devices on first Arbitrated Loop being able to communicate with Private Loop Devices on the second Arbitrated Loop, the interconnect system including a plurality of ports, each port containing a port control module, the port control module containing an active L.sub.-- Port. comprising the steps of:

• detecting a loop initialization event on the first Arbitrated Loop, and
• initializing the first Arbitrated Loop without affecting the other attached loops.