Sequential frame forwarding

A data center, comprising:

• an initiating system;
• first and second computing systems;
• and
• a switch device physically linked to the initiating system through an ingress port, to the first computing system through a first egress port, and to the second computing system through a second egress port, the switch device being adapted to (a) receive at the ingress port a frame requiring processing sequentially by the first computing system and the second computing system, (b) identify, in response to information carried in the frame, the first of a plurality of egress ports at which to exclusively pass the frame for forwarding to the first computing system, (c) exclusively forward the frame from the first egress port to the first computing system;
• (d) receive the frame at the switch device in return from the first computing system after the first computing system completes processing of the frame, (e) identify, in response to information carried in the frame received in return from the first computing system, the second of the plurality of egress ports at which to exclusively pass the frame for forwarding to the second computing system, and (f) exclusively forward the frame through the second egress port to the second computing system for processing by the second computing system before the frame is returned through the switch device to the initiating system.

A switch device, comprising:

• a plurality of ports including an ingress port physically linked to an initiating system, a first of a plurality of egress ports physically linked to a first computing system, and a second of a plurality of egress ports physically linked to a second computing system;
• a frame processor receiving at the ingress port a frame originating from the initiating system and requiring processing sequentially by the first computing system and the second computing system, the frame processor including logic for identifying, in response to information carried in the frame, the first of the plurality of egress ports through which to exclusively pass the frame prior to forwarding the frame to the first computing system;
• a frame forwarder exclusively forwarding the frame through the first egress port to the first computing system for processing by the first computing system;
• wherein the frame processor includes logic for receiving the frame in return from the first computing system after the first computing system completes processing of the frame and for identifying, in response to information carried in the frame received in return from the first computing system, the second of the plurality of egress ports through which to exclusively pass the frame prior to forwarding the frame to the second computing system for processing, and wherein the frame forwarder is adapted to exclusively forward the frame through the second egress port to the second computing system for processing by the second computing system before the frame is returned through the switch device to the initiating system.

A method of processing a frame in a data center, the method comprising:

• receiving a frame at a switch originating from an initiating system;
• determining, by the switch from information in the frame, a first of a plurality of egress ports of the switch through which to exclusively provide the frame for forwarding;
• exclusively forwarding, by the switch, the frame from the first of the plurality of egress ports to a first server of a plurality of servers;
• modifying, by the first server, information in the frame to affect frame-forwarding logic of the switch;
• receiving, by the switch, the modified frame from the first server;
• and
• exclusively providing the frame received from the first server to a second of the plurality of egress ports, then exclusively forwarding the frame from the second of the plurality of egress ports to a second server of the plurality of servers in response to the information in the frame modified by the first server before the frame is returned through the switch device to the initiating system.