Determination and display of LUN encryption paths
Granted: November 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9491040
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…
Fabric formation for virtual cluster switching
Granted: November 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9485148
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes a port to couple to a second switch and a control mechanism configured. During operation, the control mechanism receives from the second switch a set of configuration information. Based on the received configuration information, the control mechanism invites the second switch to join a virtual cluster switch.
Printed circuit board with fluid flow channels
Granted: October 25, 2016
Patent Number:
9480149
An embodiment of an electronic system includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including fluid flow channel extending through the PCB. In addition, the electronic system includes an electronic component including a bottom surface and positioned on the PCB over the fluid flow channel to thereby expose the bottom surface of the electronic component to fluid flow through the fluid flow channel.
Global server load balancing
Granted: October 25, 2016
Patent Number:
9479574
A global server load balancing (GSLB) switch serves as a proxy to an authoritative DNS communicates with numerous site switches which are coupled to host servers serving specific applications. The GSLB switch receives from site switches operational information regarding host servers within the site switches neighborhood. When a client program requests a resolution of a host name, the GSLB switch, acting as a proxy of an authoritative DNS, returns one or more ordered IP addresses for the…
Controlling the operation of server computers
Granted: October 18, 2016
Patent Number:
9473571
A plurality of server computers in a network that includes load balancing processes to enhance performance employs a non-performance related variable, such as power consumption, and modifies the load balancing processes in response to the reading of the non-performance variable. Such variables do not affect the response and performance as perceived by a browsing client but do provide other advantages with in the environment as a whole. The non-performance related variable is employed…
128 gigabit fibre channel speed negotiation
Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number:
9467304
The FC port state machine enhanced by determining if various lanes are configured to be operated in 128 Gbps mode by operating as parallel lanes as indicated by using a reserved bit in a link training field. If so and if all of the ports are 32 Gbps ports and pass training, then four lanes can be combined to form a 128 Gbps link. If the ports are configured for 128 Gbps only operation and at least one lane does not negotiate to 32 Gbps or fails training, the link is not activated and…
Terabit top-of-rack switch
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9461768
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a number of multi-channel optical transceivers mounted on the PCB, and a number of switch ports accessible from a front panel of the switch. The switch ports include a number of electrical interfaces that are electrically coupled to a switch chip mounted on the PCB, and a number of optical interfaces that are coupled to the switch chip via the multi-channel optical transceivers.
128 Gigabit fibre channel physical architecture
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9461941
The PCS and FEC layers are combined into a single layer and the number of lanes is set at four lanes. The combination allows removal of many modules as compared to a serial arrangement of a PCS layer and an FEC layer. The reduction in the number of lanes, as compared to 100 Gbps Ethernet, provides a further simplification or cost reduction by further reducing the needed gates of an ASIC to perform the functions. Changing the lanes in the FEC layer necessitates changing the alignment…
Virtual port grouping for virtual cluster switching
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9461911
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port that couples to a server hosting a number of virtual machines. The switch also includes a set of virtual port grouping information and a virtual port grouping mechanism. During operation, the virtual port grouping mechanism determines whether a frame is traveling from a virtual port group to the same virtual port group. If the frame is not traveling to the same virtual port group, the virtual port…
Port profile management for virtual cluster switching
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9461840
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch system. The switch includes a port profile which specifies a set of port configuration information. During operation, a control mechanism within the switch detects a source MAC address of an incoming frame and determines that the MAC address is associated with the port profile. The control mechanism then applies the port profile to a switch port on which the frame is received.
Remote port mirroring
Granted: September 27, 2016
Patent Number:
9455935
A switch that facilitates remote port mirroring is described. The switch can include an encapsulation mechanism and a forwarding mechanism. The encapsulation mechanism can be configured to encapsulate a copy of a first packet in a second packet, thereby preserving header information (e.g., a VLAN identifier and/or a TRILL header) of the first packet. The forwarding mechanism can be configured to forward the first packet using header information of the first packet, and forward the second…
System and method for providing network route redundancy across layer 2 devices
Granted: September 20, 2016
Patent Number:
9450893
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…
System and method for flow management in software-defined networks
Granted: September 20, 2016
Patent Number:
9450870
A system facilitates flow definition management in a switch. During operation, the system identifies a generic flow definition which specifies a flow that is not specific to any input port of a switch. The system further stores in a flow lookup data structure one or more port-specific flow rules based on the generic flow definition, wherein each port-specific flow rule corresponds to a respective port capable of processing data flows.
MAC flush optimizations for ethernet rings
Granted: September 13, 2016
Patent Number:
9444641
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…
Techniques for protecting against denial of service attacks
Granted: September 6, 2016
Patent Number:
9438702
Techniques for protecting against denial of service attacks are provided. In one embodiment, a network device can extract one or more values from a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ACK packet sent by a client device, where the one or more values encode TCP option information. The network device can further decode the one or more values to determine the TCP option information and embed the TCP option information into the TCP ACK packet. The network device can then forward the TCP ACK…
Smart hot plug retaining mechanism
Granted: September 6, 2016
Patent Number:
9436232
A computer system includes a removable computer module. The computer module includes a retaining mechanism securing the computer module within a computer system chassis of the computer system. The computer module further includes a retaining mechanism protection device preventing access to the retaining mechanism. To remove the computer module from the computer system chassis, a user must move the retaining mechanism protection device. Upon notification of movement of the retaining…
Automated configuration for network devices
Granted: August 30, 2016
Patent Number:
9432260
Techniques for automatically configuring a network device are provided. In one embodiment, the network device can receive a Layer 2 discovery packet on an uplink port operable for connecting the network device to another network device. The network device can then learn VLAN information from the Layer 2 discovery packet and automatically configure one or more of its ports based on the VLAN information.
Techniques for customizing forwarding decisions via a hardware lookup result
Granted: August 16, 2016
Patent Number:
9419895
Techniques for customizing forwarding decisions in a network device via a hardware lookup table result are provided. In one embodiment, a network processor of the network device can perform a lookup into a lookup table based on one or more sections of a received packet. The network processor can then determine, based on the lookup, an entry in the lookup table and retrieve, using a pointer included in the lookup table entry, a mode value from a results table. The mode value can identify…
Load balance connections per server in multi-core/multi-blade system
Granted: August 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9411656
A network device includes a plurality of blades, each having a plurality of CPU cores that process requests received by the network device. Each blade further includes an accumulator circuit. Each accumulator circuit periodically aggregates the local counter values of the CPU cores of the corresponding blade. One accumulator circuit is designated as a master, and the other accumulator circuit(s) are designated as slave(s). The slave accumulator circuits transmit their aggregated local…
MAC address synchronization in a fabric switch
Granted: August 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9413691
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating synchronization of MAC addresses in a fabric switch. During operation, the system divides a number of media access control (MAC) addresses associated with devices coupled to an interface of the switch. The system then computes a checksum for a respective chunk of MAC addresses. In addition, the system broadcasts MAC address information of the chunk to facilitate MAC address synchronization in a fabric switch of…
