Multifabric zone device import and export

• US 20060023726A1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chung, Daniel Ji Yong Park, Makishima, Dennis Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/398
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures

Abstract

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 simplify Fibre Channel router routing. Phantom domains and devices must be developed for each of the fabrics being interconnected. Front phantom domains are present at each port directly connected to a fabric. Each of these is then connected to at least one translate phantom domain. Zoning is accomplished by use of a special LSAN zoning naming convention. This allows each administrator to independently define devices are accessible.

Claims

1. A Fibre Channel router connected to at least a first and a second fabric, wherein the Fibre Channel router comprises a programmable electronic device configured to:

receive zone definition data from the first and second fabrics;

compare the received zone definition data from the first and second fabrics; and

establish communication between the first device and the second device if each fabric'"'"'s zone definition data includes a zone comprising the first device and the second device.

2. The Fibre Channel router of claim 1 wherein the zone definition data comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of the first device in the first fabric; and

a World Wide Name of the second device in the second fabric.

3. The Fibre Channel router of claim 1 wherein the programmable electronic device is further configured to export a phantom representation of the first device into the second fabric to establish communication between the first device and the second device.

12. The Fibre Channel router of claim 11 wherein the zone definition data comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of the first device in the first fabric; and

a World Wide Name of the second device in the second fabric.

4. A Fibre Channel network configured to enable communication between devices located in separate fabrics, the network comprising:

a first fabric including a first device;

a second fabric including a second device;

a Fibre Channel router connected to the first and second fabrics and configured to receive zone definition data from the first and second fabrics, compare the received zone definition data from the first and second fabrics, and establish communication between the first device and the second device if each fabric'"'"'s zone definition data includes a zone including the first device and the second device.

5. The Fibre Channel network of claim 4 wherein the zone definition data comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of the first device in the first fabric; and

a World Wide Name of the second device in the second fabric.

6. The network of claim 4 wherein the Fibre Channel router is configured to export a phantom representation of the first device into the second fabric to establish communication between the first device and the second device.

7. A method of establishing an interfabric zone containing a first Fibre Channel device on a first fabric and a second Fibre Channel device on a second fabric, the method comprising:

obtaining a zoning database from the first fabric;

parsing the zoning database from the first fabric for interfabric zone definitions;

obtaining a zoning database from the second fabric;

parsing the zoning database from the second fabric for interfabric zone definitions;

comparing interfabric zone definitions from the first fabric to interfabric zone definitions from the second fabric; and

allowing interfabric communication between the first device and the second device if an interfabric zone definition from the first fabric includes a World Wide Name of the first device and a World Wide Name of the second device and an interfabric zone definition from the second fabric includes the World Wide Name of the first device and the World Wide Name of the second device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein an interfabric zone definition comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of at least one device in a local fabric; and

a World Wide Name of at least one device in a remote fabric.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of allowing interfabric communication between the first device and the second device further comprises:

exporting a phantom representation of the first device into the second fabric.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of allowing interfabric communication between the first device and the second device further comprises:

exporting a phantom representation of the second device into the first fabric.

11. A Fibre Channel router for communicating between a first device residing in a first fabric and a second device residing in a second fabric, wherein the first and second fabrics are interconnected by at least one backbone fabric, wherein the Fibre Channel router is connected to the first fabric and the backbone fabric and comprises a programmable electronic device configured to:

receive zone definition data from the first fabric;

receive zone definition data from the backbone fabric corresponding to the second fabric;

compare the zone definition data from the first and second fabrics; and

establish communication between the first device and the second device if each fabric'"'"'s zone definition data includes a zone comprising the first device and the second device.

13. The Fibre Channel router of claim 11 wherein the programmable electronic device is further configured to import a phantom representation of the second device into the first fabric to establish communication between the first device and the second device.

14. A Fibre Channel network configured to enable communication between devices located in separate fabrics, the network comprising:

a first fabric including a first device;

a second fabric including a second device;

a backbone fabric connecting the first fabric and the second fabric; and

a Fibre Channel router;

connected to the first fabric and configured to receive zone definition data from the first fabric,

connected to the backbone fabric and configured to receive zone definition data from the second fabric through the backbone fabric,

configured to compare the received zone definition data from the first and second fabrics, and

configured to establish communication between the first device and the second device if each fabric'"'"'s zone definition data includes a zone including the first device and the second device.

15. The Fibre Channel network of claim 14 wherein the zone definition data comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of the first device in the first fabric; and

a World Wide Name of the second device in the second fabric.

16. The network of claim 14 wherein the Fibre Channel router is configured to import a phantom representation of the second device into the first fabric to establish communication between the first device and the second device.

17. A method of establishing an interfabric zone containing a first Fibre Channel device on a first fabric and a second Fibre Channel device on a second fabric, wherein the first and second fabrics are interconnected by a backbone fabric, the method comprising:

obtaining a zoning database from the first fabric;

parsing the zoning database from the first fabric for interfabric zone definitions;

obtaining a zoning database from the backbone fabric corresponding to the second fabric;

parsing the zoning database corresponding to the second fabric for interfabric zone definitions;

comparing interfabric zone definitions from the first fabric to interfabric zone definitions corresponding to the second fabric; and

allowing interfabric communication between the first device and the second device if an interfabric zone definition from the first fabric includes a World Wide Name of the first device and a World Wide Name of the second device and an interfabric zone definition corresponding to the second fabric includes the World Wide Name of the first device and the World Wide Name of the second device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein an interfabric zone definition comprises:

a special tag identifying the zone definition as an interfabric zone definition;

a World Wide Name of at least one device in a local fabric; and

a World Wide Name of at least one device in a remote fabric.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of allowing interfabric communication between the first device and the second device further comprises:

importing a phantom representation of the second device into the first fabric.