Method and Apparatus for an Adapter in a Network Device to Discover its Adapter Name in a Network System

• US 20090052345A1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Aaron C., Recio, Renato J., Carlson, Scott M., Hathorn, Roger G., Palm, Jeffrey W., Gildea, Kevin J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/35 Switches specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches

Abstract

A network system supports multiple network communication protocols. In one embodiment, network device driver software provides a “Fibre Channel over Ethernet” communication capability and methodology. Device driver software manages a Fibre Channel to Ethernet and Ethernet to Fibre Channel address translation in real time for data packet communications in the network system. Different embodiments of the disclosed network system include multiple name servers and network device driver software that together provide multiple adapter name discovery methodologies. In one embodiment, the adapter name discovery methodologies include port name discovery and adapter attributes discovery.

Claims

1. A method of adapter name discovery in a network system, comprising:

providing a first plurality of name server network devices that communicates with a second plurality of network devices via a network fabric;

requesting an adapter name, by a requester adapter in a network device in the second plurality of network devices, the requester adapter transmitting a discover name request to the first plurality of name server network devices;

transmitting, by each name server network device, a respective adapter name to the requester adapter; and

selecting, by the requester adapter, one of the adapter names transmitted by the name server network devices as the selected name for the requester adapter, the name server network device that transmitted the selected name being designated the selected name server network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting step includes transmitting, by the requester adapter, a discover name request to all of the name server network devices in the first plurality of network devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the requester adapter, a request for the selected name to the selected name server network device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising assigning, by the selected name server network device, the selected name to the requester adapter.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting, by the selected name server network device, an acknowledgement to the requester adapter to validate the selected name of the requester adapter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first plurality of name server network devices is a Fibre Channel network device and one of the second plurality of network devices is an Ethernet device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first plurality of name server network devices is an Ethernet network device and one of the second plurality of network devices is a Fibre Channel device.

8. A method of adapter name discovery in a network, comprising:

providing a first plurality of name server network devices that communicate with a second plurality of network devices via a network fabric;

transmitting, by a requester adapter in a network device in the second plurality of network devices, a name server discover request to the plurality of name server network devices to determine which names server network devices couple to the fabric;

transmitting, by the name server network devices, respective responses that identify the name server network devices that couple to the network fabric; and

transmitting, by one of the name server network devices a name assignment to the requester adapter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein prior to the third transmitting step the following steps are performed:

selecting by the requester adapter, a particular name server network device from those name server network devices that responded to the requester adapter;

transmitting, by the requester adapter, a request for a name to the particular name server network device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the third transmitting step includes:

transmitting, by the particular name server network device, a name for the requester adapter to the requester adapter.

11. A network system, comprising:

a first plurality of name server network devices;

a second plurality of network devices;

a network fabric that couples the first and second pluralities of network devices together to enable communication therebetween; and

wherein one of the second plurality of network devices includes a requester adapter that transmits a discover name request to the first plurality of name server network devices, such that in response the name server network devices transmit respective adapter names to the requester adapter, the requester adapter selecting one of the names transmitted by the name server network devices as the selected name for the requester adapter, the name server network device that transmitted the selected name being designated the selected name server.

12. The network system of claim 11, wherein the requester adapter is configured to transmit a discover request to all of the name server network devices in the first plurality of network devices.

13. The network system of claim 11, wherein the requester adapter is configured to transmit a request for the selected name to the selected name server.

14. The network system of claim 13, wherein the selected name server is configured to assign the selected name to the requester adapter.

15. The network system of claim 14, wherein the selected name server is configured to transmit an acknowledgement to the requester adapter to validate the selected name of the requester adapter.

16. The network system of claim 11, wherein one of the first plurality of name server network devices is a Fibre Channel network device and one of the second plurality of network devices is an Ethernet device.

17. The network system of claim 11, wherein one of the first plurality of name server network devices is an Ethernet network device and one of the second plurality of network devices is a Fibre Channel device.

18. A network system, comprising:

a first plurality of name server network devices;

a second plurality of network devices;

a network fabric that couples the first and second pluralities of network devices together to enable communication therebetween;

wherein one of the second plurality of network devices includes a requester adapter that transmits a name server discover request to the plurality of name server network devices to determine which names server network devices couple to the fabric such that, in response, the name server network devices transmit respective responses that identify the name server network devices that couple to the network fabric, wherein one of the name server network devices transmits a name assignment to the requester adapter.

19. The network system, of claim 18, wherein the requester adapter is configured such that prior to one of the name server devices transmitting a name assignment to the requester adapter, the requester adapter selects a particular name server network device from those name server network devices that transmitted responses to the requester adapter, the requester adapter being further configured such that the requester adapter transmits a request for a name to the particular name server network device.

20. The network system, of claim 19, wherein the particular name server network device is configured to transmit a name for the requester adapter to the requester adapter.