Disaster recovery
Granted: October 12, 2010
Patent Number:
7814050
File system disaster recovery techniques provide automated monitoring, failure detection and multi-step failover from a primary designated target to one of a designated group of secondary designated targets. Secondary designated targets may be prioritized so that failover occurs in a prescribed sequence. Replication of information between the primary designated target and the secondary designated targets allows failover in a manner that maximizes continuity of operation. In addition,…
High jitter scheduling of interleaved frames in an arbitrated loop
Granted: October 5, 2010
Patent Number:
7809852
A system and method for converting low-jitter, interleaved frame traffic, such as that generated in an IP network, to high jitter traffic to improve the utilization of bandwidth on arbitrated loops such as Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loops. Embodiments of a high jitter scheduling algorithm may be used in devices such as network switches that interface an arbitrated loop with an IP network that carries low-jitter traffic. The high jitter algorithm may use a separate queue for each device on…
Use of server instances and processing elements to define a server
Granted: September 14, 2010
Patent Number:
7797288
A server instance, which is a collection of LUNs, containing an operating system, any applications and data storage. A processing element is the physical hardware. The combination is a server as normally understood. Templates are used to define server instances and server types to simplify deploying a server instance to a processing element. A graphical user interface provides the templates where the particular storage groups are identified and then server instances are created from…
Method and apparatus for displaying network fabric data
Granted: September 14, 2010
Patent Number:
7797634
The invention relates to methods and associated systems for displaying network fabric data for managing electronic networks, such as computer networks, storage area networks (SANs), and the like. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for displaying parameters of a plurality of devices in a network for comparison, where each device has a plurality of parameters, including determining and storing values for a plurality of parameters for each of a plurality of devices, and…
Topology database synchronization
Granted: August 3, 2010
Patent Number:
7769902
A network comprises a plurality of interconnected switches that implement a topology database synchronization technique in which each switch determines whether its topology database has already been transmitted to a neighboring switch when a new link is formed to the neighboring switch. When a new electrical connection is detected, the local switch determines whether any of its other ports have already been connected to the same neighboring switch. If no other port on the local switch…
Interface switch for use with fibre channel fabrics in storage area networks
Granted: July 20, 2010
Patent Number:
7760717
An interface switch which presents itself as switch to an enterprise fabric formed of the devices from the same manufacturer as the interface switch and that of a host or node to an enterprise fabric from a different manufacturer. This allows each enterprise fabric to remain in a higher performance operating mode. The multiplexing of multiple streams of traffic between the N_ports on the first enterprise fabric and the second enterprise fabric is accomplished by N_port Virtualization.…
Apparatus and method for data migration in a storage processing device
Granted: July 6, 2010
Patent Number:
7752361
A system including a storage processing device with an input/output module. The input/output module has port processors to receive and transmit network traffic. The input/output module also has a switch connecting the port processors. Each port processor categorizes the network traffic as fast path network traffic or control path network traffic. The switch routes fast path network traffic from an ingress port processor to a specified egress port processor. The storage processing device…
Multifabric communication using a backbone fabric
Granted: June 22, 2010
Patent Number:
7742484
A Fibre Channel router used to join fabrics. EX_ports are used to connect to the fabrics. The EX_port joins the fabric but the router will not merge into the fabric. Ports in the Fibre Channel router can be in a fabric, but other ports can be connected to other fabrics. Fibre Channel routers can be interconnected using a backbone fabric. Global, interfabric and encapsulation headers are developed to allow routing by conventional Fibre Channel switch devices in the backbone fabric and…
Method and apparatus for determining bandwidth-consuming frame flows in a network
Granted: June 8, 2010
Patent Number:
7733805
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…
Isolation switch for fibre channel fabrics in storage area networks
Granted: April 27, 2010
Patent Number:
7707309
An isolation switch blade Fibre Channel switch presents F_ports to form a first Fibre Channel fabric and N_ports to a second Fibre Channel fabric to appear as node devices. The isolation switch blade may be used to connect a plurality of blade servers to a Fibre Channel fabric. Fabric events engendered by the insertion or removal of hot-pluggable devices are handled by the isolation switch blade and “event storms” on the Fibre Channel fabric are avoided. The isolation switch blade…
Virtual write buffers for accelerated memory and storage access
Granted: February 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7668841
A method for accelerating storage access in a network. The method comprises receiving a data record having a plurality of data segments. The data segments are stored in a local memory of a network controller (NC). A virtual write buffer (VWB) entry is assigned for the incoming data record in the NC local memory. The data segments of said data record are reassemble using the VWB. The data record is sent from the network controller directly to an I/O controller of a storage device.
Host bus adapter with multiple hosts
Granted: February 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7669000
A multi-host host bus adapter (HBA) can be connected to multiple host devices to allow the multiple host devices to communicate on a SAN fabric. More specifically, the multi-host HBA provides an interface for multiple SAN hosts without necessitating an HBA on each host, eliminating the need for an on-board HBA on each SAN host. The multi-host HBA interfaces to memory in each SAN host to which it is connected using PCI-Express (or a similar protocol), and communicates with other devices…
Virtual channel remapping
Granted: February 2, 2010
Patent Number:
7656898
Virtual channel enabled networking devices may map frames to specific virtual channels based upon frame characteristics (e.g. destination address, class of service). Devices and methods that provide a remapping of virtual channels are disclosed. In one embodiment, a network having virtual channel remapping may include: a first set of one or more switches that each support a first number of virtual channels, and a second set of one or more switches that each support a second number of…
Rule based routing in a switch
Granted: November 24, 2009
Patent Number:
7623519
A routing module applies a plurality of routing rules simultaneously to determine routing for a Fibre Channel frame. Each rule independently determines whether the rule applies to the frame as well as a routing result for the frame. The routing result includes a port address, a zoning indicator, and a priority designation that can be used to route the frame over a virtual channel in an interswitch link. A selector chooses between the results returned by the rules. A component receives…
Frame traffic balancing across trunk groups
Granted: November 17, 2009
Patent Number:
7619974
Embodiments of methods, apparatuses and/or systems for balancing flow across trunk groups are disclosed. For example, a method of routing a flow of frames may include receiving at least one frame; selecting an exit port of a switch for the at least one frame to exit based, at least in part, on balancing flow across trunk groups; and transmitting the at least one frame.
Write capture for fibre channel fabric snapshot service
Granted: November 17, 2009
Patent Number:
7620742
The snapshot capability moving into the SAN fabric and being provided as a snapshot service. A well-known address is utilized to receive snapshot commands. Each switch in the fabric connected to a host contains a front end or service interface to receive the snapshot command. Each switch of the fabric connected to a storage device used in the snapshot process contains a write interceptor module which cooperates with hardware in the switch to capture any write operations which would occur…
Method and apparatus for providing virtual ports with attached virtual devices in a storage area network
Granted: October 20, 2009
Patent Number:
7606239
Systems particularly a virtualization switch or a storage device, which include virtual ports connected to virtual devices with virtual worldwide names and virtual LUNs. Because Fibre Channel environment hosts can track worldwide names from one port to another and allow continuity in that regard, the virtual worldwide names are provided with relevant virtual LUNs and connected these to virtual ports so that the virtual devices can be moved as desired to overcome failures or to allow load…
Dynamic link distance configuration for extended fabric
Granted: October 6, 2009
Patent Number:
7600035
A method to dynamically allocate credits for a particular port to port link based on measured link distance during the initial interswitch link configuration process. An apparatus implementing such method or a software upgrade to retrofit existing switches.
Methods, devices and systems with improved zone merge operation by caching prior merge operation results
Granted: September 29, 2009
Patent Number:
7596100
Methods, devices and systems for improved zone merge operations are disclosed. Two connected switches are arbitrated as an initiator and a receiver. The merge operation is initiated only by the initiator on an initiator/receiver inter-switch link. The initiator may initiate a merge request and the receiver may perform the computation of the difference between the old and the new zone. Either the whole configuration or only the differences are communicated between the switches. The merges…
Logical ports in trunking
Granted: September 22, 2009
Patent Number:
7593336
Trunk groups being assigned logical port values, with multiple physical ports designated to form the given trunk group, thus corresponding to the logical port. This provides greater flexibility in developing trunk groups. Each trunk group delivers frames in order. Routing and balancing decisions are based on the logical port not the physical port.
