Methods, systems and apparatus for the control of interconnection of fibre channel over ethernet devices
AssigneeJeda Networks, Inc.
InventorStuart B. Berman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, apparatus and methods are provided for interconnection of one or more Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) devices. The system preferably comprises a virtualized or virtual server which in turn comprises a virtual machine having an FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller, a virtual switch, the virtual switch being coupled to the FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller, and a network interface. The network interface is coupled to the virtual switch, which in turn couples to an Ethernet fabric. A first Ethernet link couples the network interface to the Ethernet fabric. One or more Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) devices are coupled to the Ethernet fabric via Ethernet links.
Claims20
A system for interconnection of one or more Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) devices, the system comprising:
- a virtual server, the virtual server comprising:
- a virtual machine comprising an FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller (FIAC), the FIAC comprising a database and an OpenFlow controller,
- a virtual switch, the virtual switch being coupled to the FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller, and
- a network interface, the network interface being coupled to the virtual switch,
- an Ethernet fabric,
- a first Ethernet link, the first Ethernet link coupling the network interface to the Ethernet fabric,
- a first Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) device,
- a second Ethernet link, the second Ethernet link coupling the first Fibre Channel over Ethernet device to the Ethernet fabric,
- a second Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) device, and
- a third Ethernet link, the third Ethernet link coupling the second Fibre Channel over Ethernet device to the Ethernet fabric.
A method for interconnection of one or more Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) devices comprising the steps of:
- a virtual server, the virtual server comprising:
- a virtual machine comprising an FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller (FIAC),
- a virtual switch, the virtual switch being coupled to the FCoE device interconnection apparatus controller, and
- a network interface, the network interface being coupled to the virtual switch,
- an Ethernet fabric,
- a first Ethernet link, the first Ethernet link coupling the network interface to the Ethernet fabric,
- a first Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) device,
- a second Ethernet link, the second Ethernet link coupling the first Fibre Channel over Ethernet device to the Ethernet fabric,
- a second Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) device, and
- a third Ethernet link, the third Ethernet link coupling the second Fibre Channel over Ethernet device to the Ethernet fabric;
- whereby the FIAC sends one or more of the following FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) frames to the attached FCoE devices:
- FIP Discovery Advertisement multicast, FIP Discovery Advertisement unicast, FIP VLAN response, FIP FCoE accept FLOGI LS_ACC to a FIP FLOGI Request frame.
A method for interconnection of one or more Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) devices under control of an FCoE virtual machine device interconnection apparatus controller (FIAC) coupled to an Ethernet fabric, comprising the steps of:
- multicasting a FIP Discovery Advertisement frame over the Ethernet fabric to the one or more FCoE devices,
- receiving the FIP Discovery Advertisement frame at the one or more FCoE devices,
- responding from one or more of the FCoE devices to tint FIAC virtual machine with a FIP Discovery Solicitation frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.