System and Method for Dynamic Maintenance of Fabric Subsets in a Network

• US 20110317590A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• 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., Gottmukkula, Aditya
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• 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 hardware port coupled to a first device and a management module. The management module identifies fabric subsets such that devices included in a fabric subset are permitted to communicate with each other, identifies configurations that include subsets that are active when the configuration is active, and detects that a device is uncoupled from the port. In response to detecting, the management module modifies the subsets by creating a new subset that does not include the uncoupled device, and modifies the configurations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of fabric subsets within a network switch such that networked devices coupled to the network fabric that are included in a respective fabric subset of the fabric subsets are permitted to exchange information with each other, wherein a first fabric subset includes a first networked device;

identifying a plurality of fabric subset configurations within the network switch such that each respective fabric subset configuration includes one or more fabric subsets of the fabric subsets that are active when the respective fabric subset configurations are active, wherein a first fabric subset configuration includes the first fabric subset;

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

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled;

automatically modifying the fabric subsets, the modifying including creating a second fabric subset that does not include the first networked device; and

automatically modifying the fabric subset configurations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the plurality of fabric subsets further comprises deleting the first fabric subset

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the plurality of fabric subsets configurations comprises creating a second fabric subset configuration that does not include the first fabric subset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein modifying the plurality of fabric subsets configurations further comprises deleting the first fabric subset configuration.

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 fabric is a Fibre Channel network, and the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

8. A networking device, comprising:

a hardware port operable to couple to a first network device; and

a management module operable to;

identify a plurality of fabric subsets such that network devices coupled to the network fabric that are included in a respective fabric subset of the fabric subsets are permitted to exchange information with each other, wherein a first fabric subset includes a first network device;

identify a plurality of fabric subset configurations such that each respective fabric subset configuration includes at least one fabric subset of the fabric subsets that is active when the particular fabric subset configuration is active, wherein a first fabric subset configuration includes the first fabric subset;

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

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled, to;

modify the fabric subsets, the modifying including creating a second fabric subset that does not include the first networked device; and

modify the plurality of fabric subset configurations.

9. The networking device of claim 8, wherein in modifying the plurality of fabric subsets, the management module is further operable to delete the first fabric subset

10. The networking device of claim 8, wherein in modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations, the management module is further operable to create a second fabric subset configuration that does not include the first fabric subset.

11. The networking device of claim 10, wherein in modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations, the management module is further operable to delete the first fabric subset configuration.

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

13. The networking device of claim 8, wherein in detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the network, the management module is further operable to detect that 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 networking device is a Fibre Channel networking device, and the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

15. A Fibre Channel switch, comprising:

a plurality of hardware ports;

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

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

restrict a remainder of the devices not associated with each respective zone from exchanging information with the subset of the devices associated each respective zone;

a plurality of configurations, each configuration comprising a subset of the zones, such that each respective configuration includes one or more zones that are active when the respective configuration is active; and

a management module operable to;

detect that a first device has become uncoupled from a first port; and

in response to detecting that the first device has become uncoupled, to;

modify the zones, the modifying including creating a first zone that does not include the first device; and

modify the configurations.

16. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein in modifying the plurality of zones, the management module is further operable to delete a second zone that includes the first device.

17. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein in modifying the plurality of configurations, the management module is further operable to create a first configuration that does not include a second zone, the second zone including the first device.

18. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 17, wherein in modifying the plurality of configurations, the management module is further operable to delete a second configuration that includes the first zone.

19. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein in detecting that the first device has become uncoupled from the first port, the management module is further operable to detect that the first device has been physically disconnected from the first port.

20. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 15, wherein in detecting that the first device has become uncoupled from the first port, the management module is further operable to detect that the first device has not been logged onto the network for a particular amount of time.