Advertising port state changes in a network

• US 20060072459A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Brooks, Aaron D., Knight, Frederick E., Miller, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,839,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a host bus adapter for implementing a first port of a node on a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprising: a transceiver providing a physical interface for the first port; and a protocol controller that transmits a notification to the intelligent connection system on behalf of a remote second port indicating that the second port may have failed when the second port fails to communicate with the first port.

Claims

1. A host bus adapter for implementing a first port of a node on a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprising:

a transceiver providing a physical interface for the first port; and

a protocol controller that transmits a notification to the intelligent connection system on behalf of a remote second port indicating that the second port may have failed when the second port fails to communicate with the first port.

2. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the notification transmitted by protocol controller to the intelligent connection system identifies the second port as the source of the notification.

3. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the notification reports the potential failure of the second port as an internal state change of the second port.

4. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the protocol controller attempts to communicate with only remote ports not previously determined to be inoperative by the protocol controller, wherein such a determination is made in response to a notification from the intelligent connection system that such remote ports have experienced an internal state change.

5. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the notification reports the potential failure of the second port as an internal state change, and wherein, subsequent to notifying the intelligent connection system that the second port may have failed, the host bus adapter receives from the intelligent connection system a notification that the second port has reported an internal state change.

6. The host bus adapter of claim 5, wherein the protocol controller is further configured to perform, in response to the notification received from the intelligent connection system, a procedure to determine a current state of the second port.

7. The host bus adapter of claim 6, wherein the protocol controller is further configured to select, on the node containing the second port, another port with which to communicate, when the protocol controller determines that the state of the second port is one which prevents the second port from communicating with the first port.

8. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the network implements protocols that are Fibre Channel Standard-compliant, and further wherein the intelligent connection system is a Fibre Channel fabric controller.

9. The host bus adapter of claim 7, wherein the determination that the state of the second port is one which prevents the second port from communicating with the first port, comprises the first port failing to receive within a predetermined period of time an acknowledgement transmitted from the second port indicating the second port successfully received a command previously transmitted to the second port by the first port.

10. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the intelligent connection system comprises one of a group consisting of:

a Fibre Channel fabric controller, and further wherein the network implements Fibre Channel Standard-compliant protocols;

an iSCSI-compatible switch, and further wherein the network implements iSCSI-compliant protocols; and

an InfiniBand fabric controller, and further wherein the network that implements InfiniBand-compliant protocols.

11. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the notification transmitted from the first port to the intelligent connection system does not require modification to protocols implemented in the network.

12. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the network is a Fibre Channel network, and further wherein the notification transmitted by the first port comprises:

a Fibre Channel Request State Change Notification data packet comprising a port identifier field having a value identifying the source of the data packet is the second port; and

an event field having a value identifying an internal state change has occurred in the identified port.

13. The host bus adapter of claim 1, wherein the network is a Fibre Channel network, and further wherein the second port fails to communicate with the first port due to at least one condition of a group consisting of:

a component of the second port fails such that lasers in the port remain active; and

a component of the second port fails such that a bypass circuit of the second port remains engaged.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting from the intelligent connection system to at least one relevant ports on the network, by the intelligent connection system, a notification that the second port has an internal state change.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a current state of the second port by at least one of the at least one relevant port receiving the notification from the intelligent connection system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a third port on the node containing the second port with which to communicate, by each of the at least one relevant port that determines that the current state of the second port renders it inoperable.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting a first test command from the first port to the second port;

failing to receive an acknowledgement to the first test command;

transmitting a second test command from the first port to the second port;

failing to receive an acknowledgement to the second test command; and

performing a sequence to logout the first port from the second port.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

canceling any previously-sent commands that were not processed by the second port; and

transmitting to the third port commands that were sent to the second port and which were not processed by the second port.

14. A method for advertising port state changes in a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprising:

detecting, by a first port, an interruption in communication with a second port; and

transmitting from the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state port change, wherein the notification identifies the second port as the source of the notification which has experienced the state change.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the method for advertising port state changes in a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprises a method for advertising port state changes in a network of nodes interconnected through a Fibre Channel fabric controller in a network implementing Fibre Channel Standard protocols.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the network is a storage network, and wherein detecting the interruption communications comprises:

transmitting a command from the first port to the second port to initiate a data exchange; and

failing to receive within a predetermined time an acknowledgement from the second port indicating the second port successfully received the data exchange command transmitted by the first port.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the detecting the interruption in communication further comprises:

performing a procedure by the first port to determine the cause of the failed acknowledgement.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the method for advertising port state changes in a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprises:

advertising port state changes in a network of nodes interconnected through an intelligent connection system comprising at least one of a group consisting of a Fibre Channel fabric controller of a network implementing Fibre Channel Standard-compliant protocols;

an iSCSI-compatible switch of a network implementing iSCSI-compliant protocols; and

an InfiniBand fabric controller of a network implementing InfiniBand-compliant protocols.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting from the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state port change comprises:

transmitting from the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state port change, wherein the transmission of the notification is performed so as to not require modification to protocols implemented in the network.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the network is a Fibre Channel network, and further wherein transmitting the notification from the first port to the intelligent connection system comprises:

transmitting a Fibre Channel Request State Change Notification data packet comprising a port identifier field having a value identifying the source of the data packet is the second port, and an event field having a value identifying an internal state change has occurred in the identified port.

26. A host bus adapter for implementing a first port of a node on a network comprising an intelligent connection system and implementing protocols permitting ports to report their own and no other port'"'"'s state or changes thereto, comprising:

transceiver means for providing a physical interface for the first port; and

a protocol controller means for transmitting, in response to a failed communication with the second port, a notification to the intelligent connection system indicating that the second port is the source of the notification and has experienced an internal state change.

27. The host bus adapter of claim 26, wherein the protocol controller further comprises:

means for performing, in response to the notification received from the intelligent connection system, a procedure to determine a current state of the second port.

28. The host bus adapter of claim 27, wherein the protocol controller further comprises:

means for selecting, on the node containing the second port, another port with which to communicate, when the protocol controller determines that the state of the second port is one which prevents the second port from communicating with the first port.

29. The host bus adapter of claim 26, wherein the intelligent connection system comprises one of a group consisting of:

Fibre Channel fabric controller means, and further wherein the network implements Fibre Channel Standard-compliant protocols;

iSCSI-compatible switch means, and further wherein the network implements iSCSI-compliant protocols; and

InfiniBand fabric controller means, and further wherein the network that implements InfiniBand-compliant protocols.

30. The host bus adapter of claim 26, wherein the network is a Fibre Channel network, and further wherein the means for transmitting comprises means for transmitting to the intelligent connection system a Fibre Channel Request State Change Notification data packet is the second port;

and an event field having a value identifying an internal state change has occurred in the identified port.

31. A computer-readable medium on which is embedded a program, the program performing a method advertising port state changes in a network implementing an intelligent connection system, comprising:

detecting, by a first port, an interruption in communication with a second port; and

transmitting form the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state change in the second port, wherein the notification identifies the second port as the source of the notification.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting from the intelligent connection system to at least one relevant ports on the network, by the intelligent connection system, a notification that the second port has an internal state change.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising:

determining a current state of the second port by at least one of the at least one relevant port receiving the notification from the intelligent connection system.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, further comprising:

selecting a third port on the node containing the second port with which to communicate, by each of the one or more relevant ports that determine that the current state of the second port renders it inoperable.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the network is a storage network, and wherein detecting the interruption communications comprises:

transmitting a command from the first port to the second port to initiate a data exchange; and

failing to receive within a predetermined time an acknowledgement from the second port indicating the second port successfully received the data exchange command transmitted by the first port.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein transmitting from the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state port change comprises:

transmitting from the first port to the intelligent connection system a notification of a state port change, wherein the transmission of the notification is performed so as to not require modification to protocols implemented in the network.