US 7,466,712 B2Granted

System and method for providing proxy and translation domains in a fibre channel router

AssigneeBrocade Communications Systems, Inc.

InventorsDennis Hideo Makishima, Daniel Ji Yong Park Chung

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Abstract

A Fiber Channel router used to join fabrics. EX_ports are used to connect to the fabrics. The EX_port joins the fabric but the router will not merge into the fabric. Ports in the Fiber Channel router can be in a fabric, but other ports can be connected to other fabrics. Fiber Channel routers can be interconnected using a backbone fabric. Global, interfabric and encapsulation headers are developed to allow routing by conventional Fiber Channel switch devices in the backbone fabric and simplify Fiber Channel router routing. Phantom domains and devices must be developed for each of the fabrics being interconnected. Front phantom domains are present at each port directly connected to a fabric. Each of these is then connected to at least one translate phantom domain. Zoning is accomplished by use of a special LSAN zoning naming convention. This allows each administrator to independently define devices are accessible.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A system for routing packets comprising:

a first fabric having at least one domain;
a first device connected to said first fabric;
a second fabric having at least one domain;
a second device connected to said second fabric;
a routing system connected to said first and second fabrics for allowing said first and second devices to communicate, said routing system providing a proxy of said second device in said first fabric for addressing by said first device and a proxy of said first device in said second fabric for addressing by said second device, said routing system translating addresses in packets addressed to said second device proxy by said first device as being for said second device from said first device proxy and translating addresses in packets addressed to said first device proxy by said second device as being for said first device from said second device proxy, said routing system having a first port connected to said first fabric and a second port connected to said second fabric, said routing system presenting said first port as a first domain in said first fabric and said second port as a second domain in said second fabric, said routing system further presenting a third domain in said first fabric connected to said first domain, with said second device proxy connected to said third domain, and presenting a fourth domain in said second fabric connected to said second domain with said first device proxy connected to said fourth domain.

2 more elements

A routing system for routing packets between a first device connected to a first fabric and a second device connected to a second fabric, the routing system comprising:

a first port for connection to the first fabric;
a second port for connection to the second fabric;
a proxy device unit providing a proxy of the second device in the first fabric for addressing by the first device and a proxy of the first device in the second fabric for address by the second device;
a domain presenter for presenting said first port as a first domain in the first fabric, said second port as a second domain in the second fabric, a third domain in the first fabric connected to said first domain and a fourth domain in the second fabric connected to the second domain, said second device proxy connected to said fourth domain and said first device proxy connected to said third domain;
and
an address translator for translating addresses in packets addressed to said second device proxy by said first device as being for said second device from said first device proxy and translating addresses in packets addressed to said first device proxy by said second device as being for said first device from said second device proxy.

3 more elements

A method for routing packets between a first device connected to a first fabric and a second device connected to a second fabric, the method comprising:

providing a proxy of the second device in the first fabric for addressing by the first device and a proxy of the first device in the second fabric for address by the second device;
presenting a first port as a first domain in the first fabric, a second port as a second domain in the second fabric, a third domain in the first fabric connected to said first domain and a fourth domain in the second fabric connected to the second domain, said second device proxy connected to said fourth domain and said first device proxy connected to said third domain;
and
translating addresses in packets addressed to said second device proxy by the first device as being for the second device from said first device proxy and translating addresses in packets addressed to said first device proxy by the second device as being for the first device from said second device proxy.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.