Method and System for Providing Distributed Allowed Domains in a Data Network

• US 20070266132A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sasso, Christian, Hariharan, Anand, Desai, Ronak
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/645 Fibre channel identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses

Abstract

Method and system for providing distributed domains in a fiber channel fabric including determining a domain configuration of a resource, retrieving one or more current domain configuration parameters, determining a list of domains in a fiber channel fabric, and generating an updated domain list for the resource in the fabric is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of providing distributed allowed domains in a fiber channel fabric, comprising the steps of:

determining an allowed domain configuration of a resource;

retrieving one or more current domain configuration parameters;

determining a list of domains in a fiber channel fabric; and

generating an updated allowed domain list for the resource in the fabric.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of retrieving the one or more current domain configuration parameters include the steps of:

retrieving a current allowed domain configuration;

retrieving a current domain identification information; and

retrieving a current runtime domain identification information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the current allowed domain configuration includes a range of allowable domains.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating an updated allowed domain list includes the steps of:

comparing the allowed domain configuration with the current allowed domain configuration; and

identifying a subset of domain list based on the comparison step.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of identifying the subset of domain list includes the steps of:

comparing each of the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information; and

defining the subset of the domain list to include the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of assigning the updated allowed domain list to one or more switches in the fabric.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of assigning the updated allowed domain list includes the steps of:

transmitting a request to confirm validity of the updated allowed domain list;

receiving a predetermined number of validity confirmation of the updated allowed domain list in response to the request; and

locally storing the updated allowed domain list.

8. A method of providing distributed allowed domains in a fiber channel fabric, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to approve a validity of an updated allowed domain configuration;

determining the validity of the received updated allowed domain configuration; and

transmitting a validity approval based on the determining step; and

locally storing the updated allowed domain configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 further including the step of receiving one or more configuration requests.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the updated allowed domain configuration includes an updated allowed domain list.

11. A method of controlling a fiber channel fabric admission based on distributed allowed domains;

comprising the steps of;

determining a list of domains and an allowed domain list of a first fabric;

determining a list of domains and an allowed domain list of a second fabric;

comparing the list of domains and the allowed domain list of the first and second fabrics; and

merging the first fabric and the second fabric based on the comparing step.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of comparing includes the steps of:

determining the allowed domain list of the first fabric includes the number of domains in the combined list of domains of the first and the second fabrics;

determining the allowed domain list of the first fabric includes the list of domains in the second fabric;

determining the allowed domain list of the second fabric includes the number of domains in the combined list of domains of the first and the second fabrics; and

determining the allowed domain list of the second fabric includes the list of domains in the first fabric.

13. A system for providing distributed allowed domains in a fiber channel fabric, comprising:

a first switch configured to;

determine an allowed domain configuration;

retrieve one or more current domain configuration parameters;

determine a list of domains in a fiber channel fabric; and

generate an updated allowed domain list for the resource in the fabric.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first switch is further configured to:

retrieve a current allowed domain configuration;

retrieve a current domain identification information; and

retrieve a current runtime domain identification information.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the current allowed domain configuration includes a range of allowable domains.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the first switch is further configured to:

compare the allowed domain configuration with the current allowed domain configuration; and

identify a subset of domain list based on the comparison.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the first switch is further configured to:

compare each of the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information; and

define the subset of the domain list to include the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the first switch is further configured to assign the updated allowed domain list to one or more second switches in the fabric.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first switch is configured to:

transmit a request to confirm validity of the updated allowed domain list;

receive a predetermined number of validity confirmation of the updated allowed domain list in response to the request; and

locally store the updated allowed domain list.

20. A system for providing distributed allowed domains in a fiber channel fabric, comprising:

means for determining an allowed domain configuration of a resource;

means for retrieving one or more current domain configuration parameters;

means for determining a list of domains in a fiber channel fabric; and

means for generating an updated allowed domain list for the resource in the fabric.

21. A method of providing distributed domains in a fiber channel fabric, comprising the steps of:

determining a domain configuration of a resource;

retrieving one or more current domain configuration parameters;

determining a list of domains in a fiber channel fabric; and

generating an updated domain list for the resource in the fabric.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of retrieving the one or more current domain configuration parameters include the steps of:

retrieving a current domain configuration;

retrieving a current domain identification information; and

retrieving a current runtime domain identification information.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the current domain configuration includes a range of allowable domains.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of generating an updated domain list includes the steps of:

comparing the domain configuration with the current domain configuration; and

identifying a subset of domain list based on the comparison step.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of identifying the subset of domain list includes the steps of:

comparing each of the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information; and

defining the subset of the domain list to include the list of domains, the current domain identification information, and the current runtime domain identification information.

26. The method of claim 21 further including the step of assigning the updated domain list to one or more switches in the fabric.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of assigning the updated domain list includes the steps of:

transmitting a request to confirm validity of the updated domain list;

receiving a predetermined number of validity confirmation of the updated domain list in response to the request; and

locally storing the updated domain list.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the updated domain list includes an allowed domain list.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the updated domain list includes a disallowed domain list.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the step of generating the disallowed domain list includes the steps of:

comparing the domain configuration with the current domain configuration; and

identifying a disallowed subset of domain list based on the comparison step.