SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC MAINTENANCE OF FABRIC SUBSETS IN A NETWORK

• US 20100040053A1
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadam, Vishal P., Balakrishnan, Nivetha, Bhat, Rohit G., Gottumukkula, Aditya
• Granted Patent: US 8,031,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/357
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A networking device includes a port, and a management module that identifies fabric subsets that include networked devices that can exchange information with each other, detects that a networked device was uncoupled from the networking device, and modifies the fabric subsets. A Fibre Channel switch includes ports, zones and a management module. Each zone includes subsets of devices coupled to the ports, and permits the subset of devices to exchange information with each other. The management module detects when a device becomes uncoupled from a port and automatically updates the zones to restrict the device from exchanging information with other devices. A method includes identifying fabric subsets in a network, selecting a fabric subset that includes networked devices that are permitted to exchange information with each other, detecting that one of the networked devices has become uncoupled from the network, and automatically modifying a portion of the network fabric.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

within a network fabric, identifying a plurality of fabric subsets;

selecting a first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets, wherein the first fabric subset includes;

a first networked device coupled to the network; and

a second networked device coupled to the network; and

wherein the first networked device is permitted to exchange information with the second networked device;

detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the network; and

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled, automatically modifying a portion of the network fabric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the portion of the network fabric comprises modifying the first fabric subset such that the modified first fabric subset does not include the first networked device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the portion of the network fabric comprises creating a second fabric subset that includes the second networked device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the portion of the network fabric further comprises deleting the first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the network comprises detecting that the first networked device has been physically disconnected from the network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the network comprises detecting that the first networked device has not been logged onto the network for a particular amount of time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network is a Fibre Channel network; and

the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

8. A networking device, comprising:

a port operable to couple to a first networked device; and

a management module operable to;

within a network fabric, identify a plurality of fabric subsets;

select a first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets, wherein the first fabric subset includes;

the first networked device coupled to the port; and

a second networked device; and

wherein the first networked device is permitted to exchange information with the second information system;

detect that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the port; and

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled, modify a portion of the network fabric.

9. The networking device of claim 8, wherein the management module is further operable to modify a portion of the network fabric such that the first fabric subset does not include the first networked device.

10. The networking device of claim 8, wherein the management module is further operable to modify a portion of the network fabric such that a second fabric subset that includes the second networked device is created.

11. The networking device of claim 10, wherein the management module is further operable to modify a portion of the network fabric such that such that the first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets is deleted.

12. The networking device of claim 8, wherein the management module is further operable to detect that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the port when first networked device has been physically disconnected from the port.

13. The networking device of claim 8, wherein the management module is further operable to detect that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the port when the first networked device has not been logged onto the network for a particular amount of time.

14. The networking device of claim 8, wherein:

the network is a Fibre Channel network; and

the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

15. A Fibre Channel switch, comprising:

a plurality of ports;

a plurality of zones, each zone comprising a subset of a plurality of devices operably coupled to the plurality of ports, each zone being operable to;

permit the subset of the plurality of devices associated with each particular zone to exchange information; and

restrict remainder of the plurality of devices not associated with each particular zone from exchanging information with the subset of the plurality of devices associated each particular zone; and

a management module operable to;

determine a particular device that is operably coupled to a particular port as being uncoupled from the particular port; and

automatically update the plurality of zones to restrict the particular device from exchanging information with other devices.

16. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein the management module is further operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device among the subset of the plurality of devices no longer includes the particular device.

17. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 16, wherein the management module is operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that, for each particular zone that includes only on of the plurality of devices, the management module is operable to delete the each particular zone.

18. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein the management module is operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that the management module is operable to make a copy of each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device, except that the copy of the each of the plurality of zones does not include the particular device.

19. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 18, wherein the management module is further operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that the management module is operable to delete the each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device.

20. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein the management module is operable to determine the particular device as being uncoupled from the particular port when the particular device has not been logged onto the Fibre Channel switch for a particular amount of time.