Methods and apparatus for using border gateway protocol (BGP) for converged fibre channel (FC) control plane
AssigneeJuniper Networks, Inc.
InventorsRavi Shekhar, Quaizar Vohra
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Abstract
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a first Fiber Channel (FC) switch configured to be operatively coupled to an FC network device and a second FC switch. The first FC switch is configured to receive, from the FC network device, a first control packet. The first FC switch is further configured to send to the second FC switch, based on the first control packet, a second control packet defined based on a decentralized control plane protocol. The second control packet includes information associated with an FC route that is associated with the FC network device such that the second FC switch can route FC data packets to the FC network device using an FC data plane protocol.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first Fibre Channel (FC) switch configured to be operatively coupled to an FC network device and a second PC switch, the first PC switch configured to receive, from the FC network device, a first control packet,
- the first FC switch configured to send to the second FC switch, based on the first control packet;
- a second control packet defined based on a decentralized control plane protocol, the second control packet including information associated with an FC route associated with the FC network device such that (1) the second FC switch does not route FC data packets to the FC network device using the FC route before the second FC switch receives the second control packet;
- and (2) the second FC switch routes FC data packets to the PC network device using the FC route after the second FC switch receives the second control packet;
- the first FC switch further configured to send a third control packet, such that priority information for the first FC switch and included in a network layer reachability information (NLRI) portion of the third control packet is used in a principle switch election associated with a plurality of FC switches that includes the first FC switch.
An apparatus, comprising
- a first Fibre Channel (FC) switch configured to be operatively coupled to a second FC switch within an FC network, the first FC switch configured to receive an update associated with an FC zone-set,
- the first FC switch configured to send, based on receiving the update, a control packet including the update associated with the FC zone-set via an updated record from a zone-server database represented by a network layer reachability information (NLRI) portion of the control packet to the second FC switch such that the second FC switch is configured to update, without forwarding the update associated with the FC zone-set to another device, an FC zone-server database at the second FC switch with the update associated with the FC zone-set, the control packet being defined based on a Boarder Gateway Protocol (BGP).
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first Fibre Channel (FC) switch configured to be operatively coupled to (1) a second FC switch configured to use a first control plane protocol, and (2) a third FC switch configured to use a second control plane protocol different than the first control plane protocol,
- the first FC switch configured to receive, from the second FC switch, a first control packet having FC routing information, the first control packet being defined based on the first control plane protocol,
- the first FC switch configured to define a second control packet based on the first control packet, the second control packet being defined based on the second control plane protocol and including the FC routing information, the second control packet including an update associated with a FC zone-set in a network layer reachability information (NLRI) portion of the second control packet, the NLRI portion of the second control packet representing an updated record from a zone-server database, the first FC switch configured to send the second control packet to the third FC switch such that the third FC switch implements the FC routing information and updates, using the second control packet and without forwarding the update associated with the FC zone-set to another device, an FC zone-server database with the update associated with the FC zone-set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.