US 9,071,630 B2Granted

Methods for the interconnection of fibre channel over ethernet devices using a trill network

AssigneeJeda Networks, Inc.

InventorStuart B. Berman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Methods are provided for forwarding Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frames over a TRILL network by a FCoE device interconnection apparatus (FIA). A FCoE frame is received from a FCoE device at the FIA. The frame includes at least destination Ethernet MAC address and source Ethernet MAC address fields. The destination Ethernet MAC address of the incoming frame is replaced with the MAC address of the remote FCoE device as determined by the Fiber Channel destination address identifier in the received FCoE frame. The source Ethernet MAC address of the incoming frame is replaced. The frame is encapsulated in a TRILL header. The frame is forwarded to an egress FCoE device interconnection apparatus (FIA). The frame is then decapsulated into a FCoE frame, which is forwarded to an attached FCoE device with the original destination and source Ethernet MAC addresses.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for forwarding Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) frames over a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) network by a plurality of FCoE device interconnection apparatus (FIA) under control of an FIA Controller, from a first FCoE device to a second FCoE device, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming frame from the first FCoE device at a first FIA and determining if the frame is a FCoE frame or a FIP frame,
if the frame is a FCoE frame,
the frame including at least a destination address of a destination Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) address of the FIA controller and a source Ethernet MAC address, replacing the destination Ethernet MAC address of the incoming FCoE frame with a destination Ethernet MAC address of the second FCoE device, or
if the frame is a FIP frame,
forwarding the frames with their original destination and source Ethernet MAC addresses of the FIP frame, and
for both a FCoE frame and LIP frame:
replacing the source Ethernet MAC address of the incoming FCoE frame,
encapsulating the frame in a TRILL header,
forwarding the frame to an egress FIA,
decapsulating at the egress FIA the frame into a decapsulated FCoE frame, and
forwarding the decapsulated FCOE frame to the second FCoE device.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/987,077Filed 7 Jan 2011
Published: US 2012/0177045 A112 Jul 2012
Granted: 30 Jun 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H04L 67/1097
In which an application is distributed across nodes in the network: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for…
H04L 12/4633
Interconnection of networks: interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
H04L 61/2596
Of the same type: translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
H04L
Digital communication