Transparent transport of fibre channel traffic over packet-switched networks

• US 20070011318A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orckit IP LLC (Orckit-Corrigent )
• Original Assignee: Corrigent Systems Ltd. (Orckit-Corrigent )
• Inventors: Roth, Moran
• Granted Patent: US 7,515,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/46 Interconnection of networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A method for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic over a packet-switched communication network includes identifying a sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals in a first sequence of FC words accepted over a FC link from a source FC device. The first sequence of FC words is translated into a second sequence of data packets in accordance with a communication protocol supported by the packet-switched communication network. The second sequence includes a repetition indication packet that identifies the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals. The second sequence of the data packets is transported to a receiver over the packet-switched communication network using the communication protocol.

Claims

1. A method for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic over a packet-switched communication network, the method comprising:

identifying a sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals in a first sequence of FC words accepted over a FC link from a source FC device;

translating the first sequence of FC words into a second sequence of data packets in accordance with a communication protocol supported by the packet-switched communication network, the second sequence comprising a repetition indication packet that identifies the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals;

transporting the second sequence of the data packets to a receiver over the packet-switched communication network using the communication protocol.

2. The method according to claim 1, and comprising:

receiving the transported data packets from the packet-switched communication network;

reproducing the first sequence of the FC words by re-generating the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals responsively to the repetition indication packet; and

providing the reproduced FC words to a destination FC device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein receiving the transported data packets comprises identifying a lost data packet, and wherein transporting the second sequence comprises retransmitting the lost data packet.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein receiving the transported data packets comprises monitoring a packet loss performance of the transported data packets, and wherein transporting the second sequence comprises adjusting a transmission rate of the data packets responsively to the monitored packet loss performance.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein providing the reproduced FC words to the destination FC device comprises providing data for storage in a remote storage device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication protocol comprises a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) protocol, and wherein transporting the second sequence comprises sending the data packets via an MPLS label switched path (LSP) established through the packet-switched communication network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first sequence comprises FC data frames and ordered sets, and wherein translating the first sequence into the second sequence comprises encapsulating at least one of the FC data frames and the ordered sets in accordance with the communication protocol to produce the data packets.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein translating the first sequence into the second sequence comprises sending the repetition indication packet while refraining from sending the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals over the packet-switched communication network.

9. The method according to claim 1, and comprising establishing a FC connection between the source and destination FC devices via the packet-switched communication network that is not terminated between the source and destination FC devices by:

accepting login signaling from the source FC device for logging in with the destination FC device;

transporting the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network to the destination FC device;

receiving over the packet-switched communication network an FC address of the destination FC device in response to the login signaling;

delivering the FC address to the source FC device; and

transporting the FC words over the established connection by directing the FC words to the FC address.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein transporting the second sequence of data packets comprises at least one of communicating with a shared resource, accessing shared content and communicating with a server in a server cluster.

11. A method for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic over a packet-switched communication network, the method comprising:

accepting login signaling from a first FC device over a FC link for logging in with a second FC device;

transporting the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network to the second FC device;

in response to the login signaling, receiving over the packet-switched communication network an FC address of the second FC device;

delivering the FC address over the FC link to the first FC device so as to establish, via the packet-switched communication network, a FC connection between the first and second FC devices that is not terminated between the first and second FC devices;

accepting from the first FC device over the FC link a sequence of the FC words directed to the FC address; and

transporting the FC words over the connection via the packet-switched communication network to the second FC device.

12. A system for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic between source and destination FC devices over a packet-switched communication network, comprising:

a first translator, which is arranged to accept a first sequence of FC words from the source FC device, to identify a sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals in the first sequence of FC words, to translate the first sequence of FC words into a second sequence of data packets in accordance with a communication protocol supported by the packet-switched communication network, the second sequence comprising a repetition indication packet that identifies the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals, and to transport the second sequence of the data packets over the packet-switched network using the communication protocol; and

a second translator, which is arranged to receive the transported data packets from the packet-switched communication network, to reproduce the first sequence of FC words by re-generating the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals responsively to the repetition indication packet, and to provide the reproduced FC words to the destination FC device.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the second translator is arranged to identify a lost data packet and to send a notification identifying the lost data packet to the first translator, and wherein the first translator is arranged to retransmit the lost data packet responsively to the notification.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second translators is arranged to monitor a packet loss performance of the transported data packets, and wherein the first translator is arranged to adjust a transmission rate of the data packets responsively to the monitored packet loss performance.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the FC frames are associated with an FC link between the source and destination FC devices, and wherein the first translator is arranged to translate the first sequence into the second sequence without terminating the FC link.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first and second translators are arranged to accept login signaling from the source FC device for logging in with the destination FC device, to transport the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network to the destination FC device, to receive in response to the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network an FC address of the destination FC device, to deliver the FC address to the source FC device so as to establish, via the packet-switched communication network, a FC connection between the source and destination FC devices that is not terminated between the source and destination FC devices.

17. Apparatus for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic over a packet-switched communication network, comprising:

an input interface, which is arranged to exchange FC words with a first FC device over a FC link; and

a translator, which is arranged to accept login signaling from a first FC device over the FC link for logging in with a second FC device, to transport the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network to the second FC device, to receive in response to the login signaling over the packet-switched communication network an FC address of the second FC device, to deliver the FC address over the FC link to the first FC device so as to establish, via the packet-switched communication network, a FC connection between the first and second FC devices that is not terminated between the first and second FC devices, to accept from the first FC device over the FC link a sequence of the FC words directed to the FC address, and to transport the FC words over the connection via the packet-switched communication network to the second FC device.

18. Apparatus for transporting fibre channel (FC) traffic over a packet-switched communication network, comprising:

an input interface, which is arranged to accept a first sequence of FC words from a source FC device; and

a translator, which is arranged to identify a sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals in the first sequence of FC words, to translate the first sequence of FC words into a second sequence of data packets in accordance with a communication protocol supported by the packet-switched communication network, the second sequence comprising a repetition indication packet that identifies the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals, and to transport the second sequence of the data packets over the packet-switched network using the communication protocol to a receiver in order to provide the FC words to a destination FC device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first sequence of FC words comprises data sent for storage in a remote storage device.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the communication protocol comprises a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) protocol, and wherein the translator is arranged to send the data packets via an MPLS label switched path (LSP) established through the packet-switched communication network.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first sequence of FC words comprises FC data packets and ordered sets, and wherein the translator is arranged to translate the first sequence into the second sequence by encapsulating at least one of the FC data frames and the ordered sets in accordance with the communication protocol to produce the data packets.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the translator is arranged to send the repetition indication packet while refraining from sending the sub-sequence of repetitive FC signals over the packet-switched communication network.