Message distribution across fibre channel fabrics

• US 20060072587A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banerjee, Subrata, Ramaswamy, Badrinarayanan, Edsall, Thomas, Agrawal, Rituparna, Raghavendra, Sudheer Yelanduru, Chatterjee, Joy
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/396
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches

Abstract

According to the present invention, methods and apparatus are provided to allow for distribution of fibre channel messages. Messages associated with a variety of applications can be distributed within a single logical fabric to physical connected but logically disconnected fabrics. Interconnecting switches forward messages to neighboring fabrics and aggregate responses before replying to a first fabric.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting messages across logical fibre channel fabrics, the method comprising:

determining that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

distributing messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric;

receiving reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the first interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches including a second interconnecting switch that is included in both the second logical fibre channel fabric and a third logical fibre channel fabric

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first interconnecting switch receives reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the second interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of third logical fibre channel fabric switches.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein information is distributed in a coordinated manner.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein information is distributed in a uncoordinated manner until it is determined that coordinated distribution is pending.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches while information is distributed to the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein distributed information is synchronization information used to synchronize the plurality of logical fibre channel switches in the first and second logical fibre channel networks/

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical fibre channel network is a first logical storage area network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second logical fibre channel network is a second logical storage area network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical fibre channel network is a first physical storage area network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second logical fibre channel network is a second physical storage area network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages are messages setting device aliases.

15. A logical fibre channel switch, comprising:

memory;

a processor coupled to memory, the processor operable to determine that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

an output interface coupled to the processor, the output interface operable to distribute messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric,

an input interface coupled to the processor, the input interface operable to receive reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the first interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

16. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 15, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

17. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 15, wherein the service is a particular version of an application.

18. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 17, wherein the application is not aware of the switches it is communicating with.

19. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 15, wherein the first and second logical fibre channel fabric switches reside in a third logical fabric.

20. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 16, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

21. A method for distributing information from a logical fibre channel switch, the method comprising:

determining that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

distributing messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric;

receiving reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the first interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches including a second interconnecting switch that is included in both the second logical fibre channel fabric and a third logical fibre channel fabric

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the first interconnecting switch receives reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the second interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of third logical fibre channel fabric switches.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein information is distributed in a coordinated manner.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein information is distributed in a uncoordinated manner.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising locking the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches while information is distributed to the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches.

29. An apparatus for distributing information, the method comprising:

means for determining that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

means for distributing messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric;

means for receiving reply messages corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply message from the first interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.