Template-based development of servers
Granted: September 15, 2009
Patent Number:
7590648
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 establishing metazones across dissimilar networks
Granted: September 1, 2009
Patent Number:
7583681
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 Fiber 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…
Port expander for fibre channel fabrics in storage area networks
Granted: August 18, 2009
Patent Number:
7577134
An port expander Fiber Channel switch presents F_ports to form a first Fiber Channel fabric and N_ports to a second Fiber Channel fabric to appear as node devices. The port expander may be used to connect a plurality of blade servers to a Fiber Channel fabric. Fabric events engendered by the insertion or removal of hot-pluggable devices are handled by the port expander and “event storms” on the Fiber Channel fabric are avoided. The port expander presents the blade servers to the FC…
Apparatus and method for performing cyclic redundancy check (CRC) on partial protocol data units (PDUS)
Granted: August 18, 2009
Patent Number:
7577896
The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for performing cyclic redundancy check (CRC) on partial protocol data units (PDUs). The disclosed apparatus is designed to off-load the CRC calculation for transmit or receive from a host computer. According to the disclosed method, when generating CRC for partial PDUs, for each such PDUs a decision is made to determine whether a CRC action is required, i.e., if CRC should be calculated, checked or placed in the outgoing byte…
Service interface for fibre channel fabric snapshot service
Granted: August 4, 2009
Patent Number:
7571261
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…
Error correction for data communication
Granted: May 26, 2009
Patent Number:
7539929
Generating a check matrix includes defining a generator function operable to yield check bits associated with a word. A set of primitive elements is calculated from the generator function. A set of check matrix columns is generated, where each check matrix column includes a matrix having a subset of the set of primitive elements. A check matrix is generated from a subset of the set of check matrix columns, where the check matrix yields a syndrome that comprises an error pattern for the…
Method and apparatus for encryption of data on storage units using devices inside a storage area network fabric
Granted: May 12, 2009
Patent Number:
7533256
The capability to encrypt or compress the traffic over network links, thus improving the security of the link on the performance of the links, and the capability to encrypt/decrypt data stored on the storage devices without requiring specialized hosts or storage devices. In a first embodiment, traffic to be routed over a selected link needing encryption and/or compression is routed to hardware which performs the encryption and/or compression and returned for transmission over the link. A…
Transmit adaptive equalization using ordered sets
Granted: April 7, 2009
Patent Number:
7516226
In a communication system comprising first and second nodes, a transmit adaptive equalization technique is implemented utilizing ordered sets. The first and second nodes may communicate over a Fiber Channel link or other medium. The first and second nodes comprise respective transmitter and receiver pairs, with the transmitter of the first node configured for communication with the receiver of the second node and the receiver of the first node configured for communication with the…
Network with fibre channel fabric snapshot service
Granted: April 7, 2009
Patent Number:
7516245
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 device for managing cluster membership by use of storage area network fabric
Granted: March 17, 2009
Patent Number:
7506039
Managing cluster membership and providing and managing locks in the switches forming the interconnecting network. To manage the cluster membership, a zone is created, with indicated members existing in the zone and the zone being managed by the switches. The nodes communicate their membership events, such as alive messages, using an API to work with the switch to which they are attached. The desired membership algorithm is executed by the switches, preferably in a distributed manner.…
Caching remote switch information in a fibre channel switch
Granted: January 6, 2009
Patent Number:
7474652
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…
System and method for providing proxy and translation domains in a fibre channel router
Granted: December 16, 2008
Patent Number:
7466712
A Fiber 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 Fiber Channel router can be in a fabric, but other ports can be connected to other fabrics. Fiber Channel routers can be interconnected using a backbone fabric. Global, interfabric and encapsulation headers are developed to allow routing by conventional Fiber Channel switch devices in the backbone fabric and…
Processing data packets at a storage service module of a switch
Granted: December 2, 2008
Patent Number:
7460528
Routing a data packet of an information unit sequence includes receiving at a switch a data packet of an information unit sequence of a block storage exchange from a storage client, where the sequence is associated with a source identifier and a target identifier identifying a target. A storage resource identifier corresponding to the target identifier is determined according to a forwarding table. A sequence identifier is associated with the source identifier, where the sequence…
Supplementary header for multifabric and high port count switch support in a fibre channel network
Granted: December 2, 2008
Patent Number:
7460537
Accordingly, there is disclosed herein an augmented Fibre Channel (FC) frame format which may provide support for multiple fabric FC networks, and may improve the performance of modularly-constructed switches. In one embodiment, the augmented FC frame format is modulated on a carrier signal and the frame includes: a start-of-frame field; a supplementary header field that follows the start-of-frame field; a frame header field that follows the supplementary header field; a cyclic…
Link trunking and measuring link latency in fibre channel fabric
Granted: November 4, 2008
Patent Number:
7447198
In a communication network system having a multi-switch Fiber Channel fabric, adjacent switches are communicatively coupled together by a plurality of links. The links are selectively determined to join a trunked group for enabling frames received at one switch to be routed over the links in the trunked group to the adjacent switch in an evenly distributed manner. In one embodiment, a link within the trunked group is coupled to a pair of ports residing on adjacent switches each having a…
Load balancing in core-edge configurations
Granted: October 28, 2008
Patent Number:
7443799
Embodiments of methods, apparatuses and/or systems for routing a flow of frame in a core-edge switch configuration 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 frame traffic in the core-edge switch configuration; and transmitting the at least one frame.
Fault-tolerant updates to a distributed fibre channel database
Granted: October 7, 2008
Patent Number:
7433299
Fault tolerant techniques to update a distributed database in a switched-fabric network. A commit master switch initiates an update operation using a four-phase process that provides for the automatic fail-over to a second (or more) switches if the commit master should not complete the update operation. In response to a lost commit master switch, one or more switches may assume the role of the commit master to either abort or complete the update operation.
Isolation of data, control, and management traffic in a storage area network
Granted: October 7, 2008
Patent Number:
7433351
Switching data packets includes forwarding first data packets to a first port that is associated with a first domain. Second data packets are forwarded to a second port that is associated with a second domain. The first data packets are managed using a first management subsystem of a service processor card, and the second data packets are managed using a second management subsystem of the service processor card.
Fibre channel zoning hardware for directing a data packet to an external processing device
Granted: September 30, 2008
Patent Number:
7430203
The present invention provides a system and a method for filtering a plurality of frames sent between devices coupled to a fabric by Fiber Channel connections. Frames are reviewed against a set of individual frame filters. Each frame filter is associated with an action, and actions selected by filter matches are prioritized. Groups of devices are “zoned” together and frame filtering ensures that restrictions placed upon communications between devices within the same zone are…
Configurable assignment of weights for efficient network routing
Granted: September 16, 2008
Patent Number:
7426561
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…
