Brocade Patent Applications

Method and Apparatus for Providing Virtual Machine Information to a Network Interface

Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number: 20140165062
A hypervisor preferably provides VM identification, priority and LUN/LBA range information to the HBA when a VM is created. Alternatively, the HBA can determine that a LUN/LBA range is new and request VM identity, priority and LUN/LBA range from the hypervisor. The HBA creates a table containing the VM identification, priority and LUN/LBA range. The HBA then detects operations directed to the LUN/LBA range and does a lookup to determine VM identification and priority. VM identification…

Determination and Display of LUN Encryption Paths

Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number: 20140164590
A management station which manages the encryption devices in a SAN to set up encrypted LUNs. In setting up the encryption, the source and target ports are identified, along with the target LUN. LUN serial numbers used to identify unique LUNs. As paths to a given LUN are defined, the management station compares the path to existing paths and provides an indication if there is a mismatch in the encryption policies or keys being applied to the LUN over the various paths. This allows the…

STORAGE OF KEYID IN CUSTOMER DATA AREA

Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number: 20140164247
A key identifier for an encryption key repository is stored with customer data on a logical device. When the customer data is compressible, the key identifier is stored in space freed by compressing the customer data. When the customer data is not compressible, a portion of the customer data is copied to a key record in the key repository identified by the key identifier, and the key identifier overwrites the copied customer data.

VIRTUAL CLUSTER SWITCHING

Granted: June 12, 2014
Application Number: 20140160988
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes one or more ports on the switch configured to transmit packets encapsulated based on a first protocol. The switch further includes a control mechanism. During operation, the control mechanism forms a logical switch based on a second protocol, receives an automatically assigned identifier for the logical switch without requiring manual configuration of the identifier, and joins a virtual cluster switch.

REDUNDANT HOST CONNECTION IN A ROUTED NETWORK

Granted: June 5, 2014
Application Number: 20140153385
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a management mechanism and a configuration mechanism. During operation, the management mechanism is configured to operate the switch in conjunction with the partner switch as a single logical switch. The configuration mechanism is configured to assign a virtual switch identifier to the logical switch.

ROLL BASED MULTICAST MESSAGING INFRASTRUCTURE

Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140089484
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide techniques that enable messages to be sent to a processing entity within a computing device without knowing the network address of the processing entity. In certain embodiments, instead of using the network address of the processing entity, a message can be communicated to the processing entity using information indicative of a role or state or function performed by the processing entity.

HIGH AVAILABILITY APPLICATION MESSAGING LAYER

Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140089425
Certain embodiments enable application message delivery to be automatically guaranteed for all failover scenarios through use of a novel infrastructure layer that supports high availability (HA) messaging. The High Availability Application Messaging Layer (HAML) can guarantee delivery of application messages whether a failover occurs at one or both of the source and the intended destination of the message. The HAML may transmit messages to one intended destination, as unicast messaging,…

ELECTRONIC COMPONENT ENCLOSURE VISUAL SHIELD AND METHOD

Granted: March 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140085818
An electronic device includes one or more electronic components and an electronic enclosure enclosing the electronic components. The electronic enclosure includes venting holes and flaps blocking visibility of the electronic components through the venting holes and from outside the electronic device. In addition, air readily flows through the venting holes providing adequate cooling of the electronic device.

MAC FLUSH OPTIMIZATIONS FOR ETHERNET RINGS

Granted: March 6, 2014
Application Number: 20140064060
Techniques are identified for optimizing the MAC flush in Ethernet rings for faster traffic restoration. In one embodiment, flushing of MAC addresses is performed only once on receiving a first control message. For example, when a first control message is received, a network device may switch from a first state to a second state, which may indicate that the MAC addresses are not to be flushed if additional control messages are received. In another embodiment, flushing of MAC addresses is…

MAC FLUSH OPTIMIZATIONS FOR ETHERNET RINGS

Granted: March 6, 2014
Application Number: 20140064061
Techniques are identified for optimizing the MAC flush in Ethernet rings for faster traffic restoration. In one embodiment, flushing of MAC addresses is performed only once on receiving a first control message. For example, when a first control message is received, a network device may switch from a first state to a second state, which may indicate that the MAC addresses are not to be flushed if additional control messages are received. In another embodiment, flushing of MAC addresses is…

Switch With Network Services Packet Processing

Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140056310
Virtual machine environments are provided in the switches that form a network, with the virtual machines executing network services previously performed by dedicated appliances. The virtual machines can be executed on a single multi-core processor in combination with normal switch functions or on dedicated services processor boards. Packet processors analyze incoming packets and add a services tag containing services entries to any packets. Each switch reviews the services tag and…

GLOBAL VLANS FOR FABRIC SWITCHES

Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140056298
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a virtual local area network (VLAN) configuration module. During operation, the VLAN configuration module maps local resources of the switch and/or locally coupled end device information to a global VLAN identifier, wherein the global VLAN is persistent across a fabric switch. The fabric switch is operable to accommodate a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch.

PROTOCOLS FOR CONNECTING INTELLIGENT SERVICE MODULES IN A STORAGE AREA NETWORK

Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140056174
Implementations are disclosed that provide protocols for connecting an intelligent service module within a storage area network (SAN). The protocols support physical connections between the intelligent service module and a director-level switch of the SAN. In some variations, the intelligent service module may comprise a director service module (DSM), a domain-sharing leaf switch service module (LSSM), or a non-domain-sharing LSSM. The protocols provide for establishing link parameters…

MANAGEABILITY TOOLS FOR LOSSLESS NETWORKS

Granted: February 27, 2014
Application Number: 20140056147
Manageability tools are provided for allowing an administrator to have better control over switches in a lossless network of switches. These tools provide the ability to detect slow drain and congestion bottlenecks, detect stuck virtual channels and loss of credits, while hold times on edge ASICs to be different from hold times on core ASICs, and mitigate severe latency bottlenecks.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING NETWORK ROUTE REDUNDANCY ACROSS LAYER 2 DEVICES

Granted: February 20, 2014
Application Number: 20140050225
Systems and methods are described for providing network route redundancy through Layer 2 devices, such as a loop free Layer 2 network having a plurality of switching devices. A virtual switch is coupled to the loop free Layer 2 network, the virtual switch having two or more switches configured to transition between master and backup modes to provide redundant support for the loop free Layer 2 network, the switches communicating their status through use of a plurality of redundancy…

TECHNIQUES FOR EFFICIENTLY UPDATING ROUTING INFORMATION UPON SHORTEST PATH TREE COMPUTATION

Granted: February 13, 2014
Application Number: 20140044013
Techniques for efficiently updating routing information in a network device such as a router. According to an embodiment of the present invention, information is stored identifying one or more nodes and leaves owned or advertised by the nodes. When a change occurs in a network environment, information is stored identifying one or more nodes and leaves that have changes associated with them. The routing information in the network device is then updated for only those nodes and leaves that…

SYNCHRONIZATION OF MULTICAST INFORMATION USING BICASTING

Granted: February 6, 2014
Application Number: 20140036915
Techniques that enable a network device such as a router to provide multicast routing services without interruption. Techniques are provided for using bicasting to synchronize multicast information maintained by a first processor and multicast information maintained by a second processor. A multicast protocol related event of packet is sent to both a first processor operating in active mode and a second processor operating in standby mode. Each processor then updates its multicast…

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BANDWIDTH-CONSUMING FRAME FLOWS IN A NETWORK

Granted: February 6, 2014
Application Number: 20140036717
A port monitor monitors network traffic that passes through a port of a switch. Frame flows routed through the switch are counted by hardware frame counting logic, which includes a content-addressable memory (CAM) and counters corresponding to various frame flows. Port monitor software includes logical containers (“buckets”), which are used to record and sort counts of the frame flows from hardware based on activity of the frame flows. Frame flow sorting is based on confidence…

MANAGEABILITY TOOLS FOR LOSSLESS NETWORKS

Granted: January 30, 2014
Application Number: 20140029466
Manageability tools are provided for allowing an administrator to have better control over switches in a lossless network of switches. These tools provide the ability to detect slow drain and congestion bottlenecks, detect stuck virtual channels and loss of credits, configure hold times on edge switches to be different from hold times on core switches, and mitigate severe latency bottlenecks.

Method and Apparatus for Enhanced Routing within a Shortest Path Based Routed Network Containing Local and Long Distance Links

Granted: January 9, 2014
Application Number: 20140010077
Use of a Location ID in addition to normal information to allow development of non-shortest path routes. The edge switches which terminate the distance links between locations are identified. Shortest path routes are determined for all switches in the same location. For each edge switch, routes over the distance links to other locations are determined, marking the interface connected to the distance links. The two determined sets of routes are combined. For devices directly connected to…