LAYER-3 SUPPORT IN TRILL NETWORKS

• US 20120281700A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Koganti, Phanidhar, Ghanwani, Anoop, Vobbilisetty, Suresh, Krishnamurthy, Rajiv, Yu, Shunjia, Venkatesan, Nagarajan
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/60 Software-defined switches

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes an IP header processor and a forwarding mechanism. The IP header processor identifies a destination IP address in a packet encapsulated with an inner Ethernet header, a TRILL header, and an outer Ethernet header. The forwarding mechanism determines an output port and constructs a new header for the packet based on the destination IP address. The switch also includes a packet processor which determines whether (1) an inner destination media access control (MAC) address corresponds to a local MAC address assigned to the switch; (2) a destination RBridge identifier corresponds to a local RBridge identifier assigned to the switch; and (3) an outer destination MAC address corresponds to the local MAC address.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

an Internet Protocol (IP) header processor configured to identify a destination IP address in a packet encapsulated with an inner Ethernet header, a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header, and an outer Ethernet header;

a packet processor configured to determine that;

an inner destination media access control (MAC) address corresponds to a local MAC address assigned to the switch;

a destination routing bridge (RBridge) identifier corresponds to local RBridge identifier assigned to the switch; and

an outer destination MAC address corresponds to the local MAC address;

 

and

a forwarding mechanism configured to determine an output port and construct a new header for the packet based on the destination IP address.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the packet processor is further configured to determine a first virtual local area network (VLAN) tag in the inner Ethernet header;

and

wherein the new header includes a new inner Ethernet header which comprises a second VLAN tag.

3. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a control mechanism configured to form a virtual cluster switch in conjunction with one or more additional switches.

4. The switch of claim 3, wherein the virtual cluster switch is an Ethernet fabric switch functioning as a logical Ethernet switch.

5. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a switching mechanism configured to switch the packet between VLANs based on the destination IP address.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the RBridge identifier is a virtual RBridge identifier;

and

wherein the destination IP address is a virtual IP address assigned to a virtual IP router associated with the virtual RBridge identifier.

7. The switch of claim 6, wherein the virtual IP router is formed based on the switch in conjunction with at least another physical switch and operates as a single logical router.

8. A method, comprising:

identifying a destination IP address in a packet encapsulated with an inner Ethernet header, a TRILL header, and an outer Ethernet header;

determining that;

an inner destination MAC address corresponds to a local MAC address assigned to a switch;

a destination RBridge identifier corresponds to a local RBridge identifier assigned to the switch; and

an outer destination MAC address corresponds to the local MAC address;

determining an output port; and

constructing a new header for the packet based on the destination IP address.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a first VLAN tag in the inner Ethernet header;

and

including in the new header a new inner Ethernet header which comprises a second VLAN tag.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising forming a virtual cluster switch in conjunction with one or more additional switches.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual cluster switch is an Ethernet fabric switch functioning as a logical Ethernet switch.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising switching the packet between VLANs based on the destination IP address.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the RBridge identifier is a virtual RBridge identifier;

and

wherein the destination IP address is a virtual IP address assigned to a virtual IP router associated with the virtual RBridge identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming the virtual IP router by operating the switch in conjunction with at least another physical switch as a single logical router.

15. A system, comprising:

a first RBridge with IP processing capability and is associated with a first VLAN and a second VLAN; and

a second RBridge associated with the first VLAN;

wherein the second RBridge comprises a forwarding mechanism configured to forward a packet from the second RBridge to the first RBridge, wherein the packet is originated from the first VLAN and destined to the second VLAN; and

wherein the first RBridge comprises a switching mechanism configured to switch the packet between the first VLAN and the second VLAN based on the destination IP address.

16. The system of claim 15, within the first RBridge comprises a packet processor configured to determine that:

an inner destination MAC address corresponds to a local MAC address assigned to the first RBridge;

a destination RBridge identifier corresponds to a local RBridge identifier assigned to the first RBridge; and

an outer destination MAC address corresponds to the local MAC address.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first and second RBridges form a virtual cluster switch.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the virtual cluster switch is an Ethernet fabric switch functioning as a logical Ethernet switch.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a virtual RBridge formed based on a number of RBridges functioning as a single logical RBridge, wherein the virtual RBridge is associated with a virtual identifier; and

a virtual IP router formed based on a number of RBridges with active IP processing capabilities functioning as a single logical IP router, wherein the virtual IP router is associated with a virtual IP address.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first RBridge is configured as a gateway router.