Reboot manager usable to change firmware in a high availability single processor system
Granted: April 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040083358
A “high availability” system comprises multiple switches under the control of a control processor (“CP”). The firmware executing on the processor can be changed when desired. Consistent with the high availability nature of the system (i.e., minimal down time), a single CP system implements a firmware change by loading new firmware onto the system, saving state information pertaining to the old firmware using a reboot manager as a standby image, preventing the old…
Use of unique XID range among multiple control processors
Granted: April 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040083402
A “high availability” system comprises multiple switches under the control of multiple control processors (“CPs”). One of the CPs is “active,” while the other CP is in a “standby” mode. Upon detection of a failure of the active CP, fail-over occurs to the standby CP. The standby CP re-issues all messages that the previously active CP had issued and which had not yet completed when the fail-over occurred. The newly active CP uses a different…
Staged startup after failover or reboot
Granted: April 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040083404
A “high availability” system comprises multiple switches under the control of one more control processors (“CPs”). Each CP performs a staged startup process when failing-over from another CP or otherwise booting up. The staged startup process involves multiple stages of processing of various executable components of the image. Some stages may depend on the prior execution of other stages. The preferred staged startup process includes the use of a staging table…
Mechanism to change firmware in a high availability single processor system
Granted: April 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040083476
A “high availability” system comprises multiple switches under the control of a control processor (“CP”). The firmware executing on the processor can be changed when desired. Consistent with the high availability nature of the system (i.e., minimal down time), a single CP system implements a firmware change by loading new firmware onto the system, saving state information pertaining to the old firmware, preventing the old firmware from communicating with the…
Method and device for extending usable lengths of fibre channel links
Granted: April 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040081096
A device for converting between the trunked and untrunked transmission of Fibre Channel frame data and for providing connections using longer distance links is described. During conversion, the device manages the flow of frame data in both the egress (from Fibre Channel ports to a non-Fibre Channel port) and ingress (from a non-Fibre Channel port to Fibre Channel ports) directions. In the egress direction, the device operates as a FIFO to transmit all frames received from the Fibre…
Method and apparatus for displaying network fabric data
Granted: April 22, 2004
Application Number:
20040075680
The invention relates to graphical user interfaces for managing electronic networks, such computer networks, storage area networks (SANs), and the like. Specifically, the invention provides a simplified means of managing large numbers of parameters associated with devices in such networks. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a method of displaying devices forming a network. In a first step, a computer system associated with a graphical user interface queries the network to…
Apparatus and method for routing traffic in multi-link switch
Granted: April 15, 2004
Application Number:
20040071134
A method of routing traffic in a switch includes forming an optimized routing table specifying for each switch ingress port an exit port to be utilized to reach a specified destination domain. The optimized routing table is formed in accordance with load distribution, oversubscription, and fragmentation criteria. The optimized routing table is distributed to a set of ingress ports of the switch. Traffic is processed at the set of ingress ports in accordance with the optimized routing…
Configurable assignment of weights for efficient network routing
Granted: April 1, 2004
Application Number:
20040064583
A load balancing technique for use in a switch fabric balances network traffic from a plurality of end node devices based on the volume of traffic on the peripheral links, not simply the rated bandwidth of the peripheral links. In one embodiment, weight values, based on the volume of peripheral link traffic, are used to modify default cost values associated with the peripheral links. The modified default cost values are then used in the load balancing process. In another embodiment, the…
Host bus adaptor-based virtualization switch
Granted: February 12, 2004
Application Number:
20040028063
Placing virtualization agents in the switches which comprise the SAN fabric. Higher level virtualization management functions are provided in an external management server. Conventional HBAs can be utilized in the hosts and storage units. In a first embodiment, a series of HBAs are provided in the switch unit. The HBAs connect to bridge chips and memory controllers to place the frame information in dedicated memory. Routine translation of known destinations is done by the HBA, based on a…
Hardware-based translating virtualization switch
Granted: February 12, 2004
Application Number:
20040030857
Placing virtualization agents in the switches which comprise the SAN fabric. Higher level virtualization management functions are provided in an external management server. Conventional HBAs can be utilized in the hosts and storage units. In a first embodiment, a series of HBAs are provided in the switch unit. The HBAs connect to bridge chips and memory controllers to place the frame information in dedicated memory. Routine translation of known destinations is done by the HBA, based on a…
Method and apparatus for virtualizing storage devices inside a storage area network fabric
Granted: February 12, 2004
Application Number:
20040028043
Placing virtualization agents in the switches which comprise the SAN fabric. Higher level virtualization management functions are provided in an external management server. Conventional HBAs can be utilized in the hosts and storage units. In a first embodiment, a series of HBAs are provided in the switch unit. The HBAs connect to bridge chips and memory controllers to place the frame information in dedicated memory. Routine translation of known destinations is done by the HBA, based on a…
Cascade credit sharing for fibre channel links
Granted: February 12, 2004
Application Number:
20040027989
A switch having a higher speed port, one or more slower speed ports, a larger buffer memory and numerous larger counters to achieve higher speed and longer range of communication. In one embodiment a larger switch having a larger buffer memory and larger counters connects to a smaller switch having a smaller buffer memory and smaller counters, the larger switch practically expanding the buffer memory and counters in the smaller switch. A combination of several counters can also avoid…
Fibre channel switch having a push/pull method for caching remote switch information
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040022199
A network of switches with a distributed name server configuration and push/pull caching of remote node device information is disclosed. The network comprises a first switch coupled to a second switch. Each of the switches directly coupled to corresponding node devices. The first switch maintains a database of information about its local node devices. The second switch maintains a information cache about remote node devices, and periodically verifies that the cache information matches…
Infiniband router having an internal subnet architecture
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040022245
An Infiniband (IB) router with an internal subnet architecture is disclosed. It comprises multiple port interface circuits interconnected by an internal IB subnet. The multiple port interface circuits each connect to an external IB subnet and preferably determine new local route headers (LRH) for global IB packets (i.e. packets having a global route header (GRH)). The new LRHs for externally received packets include a destination local identifier (DLID) value that identifies another port…
Caching remote switch information in a fibre channel switch
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040022254
A network of switches with a distributed name server configuration and caching of remote node device information is disclosed. The network preferably comprises a first switch coupled to a second switch. Each of the switches directly couple to respective node devices. The first switch maintains a name server database about its local node devices, as does the second switch. The second switch further maintains a information cache about remote node devices. The name server preferably…
Method and apparatus for establishing metazones across dissimilar networks
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040022256
A system and method for creating and enforcing meta-zones that cross the interface between different network protocols are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of enforcing meta-zones comprises: (a) receiving an Infiniband (IB) packet destined for a Fibre Channel (FC) target device; (b) comparing a partition key in the IB packet to a partition key associated with the FC target device; and (c) converting the IB packet to a FC frame only if the partition keys match. The method may…
Supporting local IB packet communication between separate subnets
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040022257
A router is disclosed for supporting local-level communication between separate subnets managed by different subnet managers. The router preferably makes one or more end nodes from one subnet “visible” to the subnet manager of another subnet. The end nodes may consequently be identified by one local identifier (LID) value in one subnet, but by another LID value in a different subnet. In a preferred embodiment, the router accepts from a first subnet local IB packets directed…
Fibre channel network employing registered state change notifications with enhanced payload
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040024852
A network of switches that employ Registered State Change Notifications (RSCNs) with enhanced payloads is disclosed. In one embodiment, the network comprises multiple switches coupled together, and multiple node devices each directly-coupled to at least one other switch. Each of the switches preferably provides RSCNs to other switches when a node device state change is detected. One or more of the RSCNs preferably includes a device entry having more than four properties associated with…
Fibre channel switch that aggregates registered state change notifications
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040024855
A network of switches that employ aggregation of Registered State Change Notifications (RSCNs) is disclosed. In one embodiment, the network comprises multiple switches coupled together, and multiple node devices each directly-coupled to at least one other switch. Each of the switches preferably provides RSCNs to other switches when a node device state change is detected. Each of the switches receiving the RSCNs preferably combines multiple RSCNs to form aggregated RSCN messages that are…
Combining separate infiniband subnets into virtual subnets
Granted: February 5, 2004
Application Number:
20040024903
A system and method are disclosed for combining physically separate subnets of an Infiniband (IB) network into virtual subnets. In the virtual subnets, all of the end node in one subnet may be allowed to access all of the end nodes in another subnet, or the access may be limited to only a selected subset of another subnet. In addition to processing of globally-routed IB packets, the router also communicates (alone or in cooperation with another router) locally-routed IB packets traveling…
