Method and apparatus for encryption or compression devices inside a storage area network fabric
Granted: October 2, 2007
Patent Number:
7277431
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…
Host bus adaptor-based virtualization switch
Granted: September 11, 2007
Patent Number:
7269168
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 starting up a network or fabric
Granted: July 10, 2007
Patent Number:
7243367
A method and system for starting up a network or network device with particular discussion regarding Fibre Channel networks and switches. The method and system relate to powering on or re-starting a plurality of Fibre Channel switching devices, each of those devices having ports. The system generally calls for the selection of a priority threshold that relates to the importance of tasks in fabric formation. Some embodiments of the system exploit a port authentication procedure to…
Quality of service using virtual channel translation
Granted: July 3, 2007
Patent Number:
7239641
Virtual channels are used to improve quality of service through a large port count switch. Data frames are sent from one small switch to another small switch within the large port count switch on virtual channels. The use of virtual channels helps prevent congestion caused by a first external source device sending data to a first external destination device from affecting a second external source device sending data to a second external destination device.
Method and apparatus for mapping between a fibre channel network and an infiniband network
Granted: June 26, 2007
Patent Number:
7236496
An Inifiniband (IB) network that incorporates a Fibre Channel (FC) network is disclosed. The IB and FC networks are coupled by a gateway that maps the FC network to a virtual IB network. In generating the virtual IB network, the gateway may provide a virtual IB target for each node port in the FC network, and may further provide a minimum number of virtual IB switches necessary to support the virtual IB targets. The gateway assigns a globally unique identifier (GUID) to each of the…
Apparatus and method for storage processing through scalable port processors
Granted: June 26, 2007
Patent Number:
7237045
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…
Apparatus for reducing data corruption in a non-volatile memory
Granted: June 5, 2007
Patent Number:
7227803
The loss of data and/or the corruption of data that may occur in flash memory when a reset signal is received during a memory write cycle is prevented by delaying reset signals sent to the flash memory for a time period sufficient for a write cycle to be completed. The loss of data and/or the corruption of data that may occur in flash memory when the power supply is interrupted during a write cycle is prevented by providing a DC-to-DC converter with one or more large capacitors in…
Supporting local IB packet communication between separate subnets
Granted: May 22, 2007
Patent Number:
7221676
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 to end…
Method and apparatus for transparent communication between a fibre channel network and an infiniband network
Granted: April 17, 2007
Patent Number:
7206314
A system and method for providing transparent communications between an Infiniband (IB) network and a Fibre Channel (FC) network are disclosed. One method comprises: (a) detecting FC node ports in the FC network; (b) creating virtual IB targets for each FC node port in the FC network; and (c) converting IB packets directed to the virtual IB targets into FC frames directed to the corresponding FC node port. It may further comprise intercepting management packets directed to the virtual IB…
High availability synchronization architecture
Granted: March 20, 2007
Patent Number:
7194652
A “high availability” system comprises one or more switches under the control of multiple control processors (“CPs”). One of the CPs is deemed to be “active,” while the other CP is kept in a “standby” mode. Each CP generally has the same software load including a fabric state synchronization (“FSS”) facility. The FSSs of each CP communicate with each other. The state information pertaining to an active “image” is continuously provided to a standby copy of the…
Fibre channel switch having a push/pull method for caching remote switch information
Granted: March 6, 2007
Patent Number:
7187659
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…
Reboot manager usable to change firmware in a high availability single processor system
Granted: March 6, 2007
Patent Number:
7188237
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 firmware from…
Fibre channel zoning by device name in hardware
Granted: January 23, 2007
Patent Number:
7167472
The present invention provides a system and a method for filtering a plurality of frames sent between devices coupled to a fabric by Fibre 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…
Network fabric management via adjunct processor inter-fabric service link
Granted: January 9, 2007
Patent Number:
7161935
An adjunct processor controls an inter-fabric service link (IFSL) coupled to at least two independent SAN switching networks. The inter-fabric service link is coupled between multiple switching fabrics to allow the attached switching fabrics to be logically managed as a single entity while still being physically independent of each other. The IFSL does not transmit nor receive data being transmitted from a storage device to a host; rather, only management data is transmitted along the…
Frame filtering of fibre channel packets
Granted: December 19, 2006
Patent Number:
7151778
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…
Frame-pull flow control in a fibre channel network
Granted: November 21, 2006
Patent Number:
7139240
A link level flow control technique implements a “pull frame” transmission model in a Fibre Channel network. In one embodiment, frames remain in a first Fibre Channel device until they are requested by a second Fibre Channel device, wherein the second Fibre Channel device does not issue a request unless conditions are such that it can immediately transmit the frame toward its target destination. In another embodiment, a Fibre Channel device provides hardware messaging capability to…
Fibre channel fabric snapshot service
Granted: November 21, 2006
Patent Number:
7139845
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 system for creating and implementing zones within a fibre channel system
Granted: October 10, 2006
Patent Number:
7120128
In a system comprising a first fabric and a plurality of devices coupled to the fabric by Fibre Channel connections, the devices are logically grouped to form configurations and zones. A configuration includes at least one zone, and each zone includes at least one device as a member of the zone. Communications between the devices is restricted according to the configuration currently in effect. For example, one device may be permitted to communicate with another device only if they are…
Hardware-based translating virtualization switch
Granted: October 10, 2006
Patent Number:
7120728
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…
Data logging by storage area network devices to a reserved storage area on the network
Granted: September 5, 2006
Patent Number:
7103711
Storage area network (SAN) switches having greater storage capacity to allow greater data logging and storage of larger, more complicated tables for zoning and other table-based applications. A hard disk drive can be included in the switch, with data logging performed to the hard disk drive and with the hard disk drive serving as a second level of virtualization to provide storage of large tables. In a variation, the data logging of the switch, and any other devices on the SAN, can be…
