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US 8,798,058 B2Granted
Providing fibre channel services and forwarding fibre channel over ethernet frames
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorJames Paul Rivers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one embodiment, an apparatus may include a first interface configured to be communicatively coupled, via a network, to a second interface and a fiber channel services module. The first interface may be configured to receive a fiber channel service from the fiber channel services module, establish communication with the second interface, and communicate a fiber-channel-over-Ethernet (FCoE) frame to the second interface, via a forwarder that forwards the FCoE frame without employing a fiber channel switching element. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
Claims25
An apparatus comprising:
- a first interface configured to be communicatively coupled, via a network, to a second interface and a fibre channel services module, the first interface configured to:
- receive a fibre channel service from the fibre channel services module, wherein the fibre channel service includes providing a media access control (MAC) address of the fibre channel services module;
- establish communication with the second interface;
- transmit a request to the fibre channel services module for the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- receive the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- transmit at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command to the MAC address of the fibre channel services module to request a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the first interface;
- receive the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the first interface;
- encode the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and a destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and include the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- and
- communicate the FCoE frame to the second interface, via a forwarder that forwards the FCoE frame without employing a fibre channel switching element.
7 more elements
A method comprising:
- establishing communication with a fibre channel services module, wherein the establishing of communication with the fibre channel services module includes:
- transmitting a request to the fibre channel services module for a media access control (MAC) address of the fibre channel services module;
- receiving the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- transmitting at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command to the MAC address of the fibre channel services module to request a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address;
- and
- receiving the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address;
- receiving a fibre channel service from the fibre channel services module;
- establishing communication with a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) port;
- encoding the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and a destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and including the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in an FCoE frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- and
- communicating the FCoE frame to the FCoE port via a forwarder that is other than a fibre channel switching element.
8 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a first interface configured to be communicatively coupled, via a network, to a second interface and a fibre channel services module, the first interface configured to:
- receive a fibre channel service from the fibre channel services module;
- establish communication with the second interface, wherein the establishing of communication with the second interface includes:
- transmitting a request to the fibre channel services module for a media access control (MAC) address of the fibre channel services module;
- receiving the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- transmitting at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command to the MAC address of the fibre channel services module to request a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the first interface;
- and
- receiving the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the first interface;
- and
- communicate a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame to the second interface, via a forwarder to forward the FCoE frame without employing a fibre channel switching element;
- wherein the first interface is configured to encode the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and a destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and include the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in the FCoE frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage.
8 more elements
A system comprising:
- a fibre channel initiator within a fibre channel domain;
- a fibre channel target communicatively coupled to the fibre channel initiator, the fibre channel target being associated with a destination fibre channel identification (ID) within the fibre channel domain;
- and
- a fibre channel services module to:
- receive a request for a media access control (MAC) address of the fibre channel services module;
- transmit the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- receive at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command that requests a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator;
- transmit the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator;
- cause the fibre channel initiator to encode the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and the destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and include the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- and
- allow an Ethernet switch to forward the FCoE frame from the fibre channel initiator to the fibre channel target without employing a fibre channel switching element, the fibre channel target to allow access to a data storage address based on the destination fibre channel ID.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a fibre channel service to a first fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) node associated with a fibre channel domain;
- receiving a request for a media access control (MAC) address of a fibre channel services module;
- transmitting the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- receiving at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command that requests a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the first FCoE node;
- transmitting the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the first FCoE node;
- causing the first FCoE node to encode the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and a destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and to include the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in an FCoE frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- allowing an Ethernet switch to forward the FCoE frame from the first FCoE node to a second FCoE node without employing a fibre channel switching element;
- receiving the FCoE frame at the second FCoE node and extracting from the FCoE frame the destination fibre channel ID;
- and
- allowing access to a data storage address based on the destination fibre channel ID.
7 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- an Ethernet forwarder configured to be coupled with a fibre channel initiator and a fibre channel target, via a network, the Ethernet forwarder configured to:
- receive, from the fibre channel initiator, a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame including a destination media access control (MAC) address associated with the fibre channel target and a destination fibre channel ID encoded in the destination MAC address, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- and
- forward the frame to the fibre channel target without employing a fibre channel switching element, based at least in part on the destination MAC address,
- wherein the fibre channel initiator is configured to:
- transmit a request to the fibre channel target for the MAC address of the fibre channel target;
- receive the MAC address of the fibre channel target;
- transmit at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command to the MAC address of the fibre channel target to request a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator;
- and
- receive the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator.
7 more elements
A method comprising:
- on an Ethernet forwarder that does not include a fibre channel switching element:
- receiving a fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frame from a fibre channel initiator, the frame including a destination media access control (MAC) address and a destination fibre channel ID encoded in the destination MAC address, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- and
- forwarding the frame to a fibre channel target associated with the destination fibre channel ID, based at least in part on the destination MAC address,
- wherein the fibre channel initiator is further configured to:
- transmit a request to the fibre channel target for the MAC address of the fibre channel target;
- receive the MAC address of the fibre channel target;
- transmit at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command to the MAC address of the fibre channel target to request a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator;
- and
- receive the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the fibre channel initiator.
7 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by one or more machines to perform operations comprising:
- providing a fibre channel service to a first fibre channel over Ethernet (FCoE) node associated with a fibre channel domain;
- receiving a request for a media access control (MAC) address of a fibre channel services module;
- transmitting the MAC address of the fibre channel services module;
- receiving at least one of a fabric login command and a fabric discovery command that requests a source fibre channel ID and a source MAC address associated with the first FCoE node;
- transmitting the source fibre channel ID and the source MAC address associated with the first FCoE node;
- causing the first FCoE node to encode the source fibre channel ID within the source MAC address and a destination fibre channel ID within a destination MAC address, and to include the source MAC address and the destination MAC address in an FCoE frame, the destination fibre channel ID corresponding to a logical unit number identifying a storage array in data storage;
- allowing an Ethernet switch to forward the FCoE frame from the first FCoE node to a second FCoE node without employing a fibre channel switching element;
- receiving the FCoE frame at the second FCoE node and extracting from the FCoE frame the destination fibre channel ID;
- and
- allowing access to a data storage address based on the destination fibre channel ID.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.