US 8,615,599 B1Granted

Method and apparatus for preventing loops in a network by controlling broadcasts

AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.

InventorsMichael Takefman, Jimmy P. Ervin, James S. Alexander, Parveen Bhagwatula, Steven J. Faulkner

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Abstract

Methods and apparatus for eliminating loops associated with interconnects between clusters are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a cluster of an interconnect group that includes at least one node and is in communication with a plurality of interconnects includes broadcasting a first frame on the interconnects. The method also includes receiving a second frame, the second frame being received on only a first interconnect, and blocking the second frame from being broadcast on the first interconnect. Finally, the method includes broadcasting the received second frame throughout the cluster such that no node in the cluster receives more than one copy of the second frame.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

at a node that is part of a first cluster of nodes arranged in a ring configuration in a network and configured to communicate with every other one of the nodes of the first cluster, broadcasting a first frame to a second cluster of nodes in the network on a plurality of point-to-point interconnects that are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications and that are connected between the first cluster and the second cluster;
at the node that is part of the first cluster, receiving from a node in the second cluster a second frame on a first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects;
broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster;
at nodes in the first cluster, recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects and that the second frame is a received frame;
and
at nodes in the first cluster that control a corresponding one of the plurality of interconnects and which receive the second frame, blocking the second frame from being returned to the second cluster from the first cluster on any of the plurality of interconnects after broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster and recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects.

3 more elements

A system comprising:

a first cluster of nodes in a network comprising a plurality of subclusters each of which comprises one or more nodes;
a second cluster of nodes in the network in a ring configuration;
and
a plurality of interconnects between the first cluster and the second cluster, wherein the interconnects are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications;
wherein each of the interconnects is designated to send messages to and receive messages from one or more nodes in a corresponding subcluster;
wherein the plurality of interconnects are configured to receive a first frame broadcast to the plurality of interconnects from one or more nodes in the first cluster and to send the frame to one or more nodes in the second cluster, and to receive a second frame broadcast from one or more nodes in the second cluster to a particular subcluster of the first cluster on a particular interconnect that is dedicated to the particular subcluster;
and
wherein nodes in the first cluster which are configured to control a corresponding one of the plurality of interconnects are configured to recognize particular interconnects that receive the first frame and the second frame and to block the second frame from being returned to the second cluster from the first cluster on any of the plurality of interconnects.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.