System, apparatus and method for address forwarding for a computer network

• US 20050232269A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ciphermax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MaXXan Systems, Inc. (Ciphermax Incorporated)
• Inventors: Olarig, Sompong Paul, Gunlock, Richard, Witkowski, Michael, Yao, Hawkins, Yang, Cheh-Suei
• Application Number:
  US11/138,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20050232269A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/631 Small computer system interface [SCSI] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/64 Asynchronous transfer mode [ATM] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method for an efficiently performing address lookups and switching for computer networks is disclosed. The present disclosure provides for address translation between network devices utilizing different protocols. The system, apparatus and method described herein provide for address translation for encapsulated communications to enable mixed protocol communications using a network switch fabric system.

Claims

1. A method for mapping an internal port address comprising a location section, a routing processor section and a port section to a network protocol address, comprising:

mapping the location section to a first selected section of the network protocol address;

mapping the processor section to a second selected section of the network protocol address; and

mapping the port section to a third selected section of the network protocol address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location section further comprises a shelf section and a slot section.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network protocol address is a Fibre Channel address comprising a Domain ID field, an Area ID field and a Port ID field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first selected location corresponds to a selected portion of the Area ID field.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first selected location corresponds to a selected portion of the Area ID field and a selected portion of the Port ID field.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the second selected location corresponds to a selected portion of the Area ID field.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the second selected location corresponds to a selected portion of the Area ID field and a selected portion of the Port ID.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the third selected location corresponds to a selected portion of the Port ID field.