DISJOINT MULTI-PATHING FOR A DATA CENTER NETWORK

• US 20130223277A1
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeCusatis, Casimer M., Recio, Renato J., Kamble, Keshav G., Kumbhare, Abhijit P., Singh, Simarbir
• Granted Patent: US 9,178,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/1283 with disjoint links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A method for determining disjoint multi-paths in a data center fabric network system, according to one embodiment, includes creating a topology of a data center fabric network system, wherein the system comprises a plurality of switches; determining paths between the plurality of switches; calculating one or more disjoint multi-paths from a source device to a destination device in the system; and writing the one or more disjoint multi-paths into a forwarding table of at least one of the source device and a nearest shared switch to the source device.

Claims

1. A method for determining disjoint multi-paths in a data center fabric network system, the method comprising:

creating a topology of a data center fabric network system, wherein the system comprises a plurality of switches;

determining paths between the plurality of switches;

calculating one or more disjoint multi-paths from a source device to a destination device in the system; and

writing the one or more disjoint multi-paths into a forwarding table of at least one of the source device and a nearest shared switch to the source device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, provided that the plurality of switches do not themselves execute a discovery protocol to determine paths to other switches in the system, and further comprising storing the determined paths to a forwarding table in each switch of the plurality of switches.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

calculating at least one disjoint multi-path between each switch and all other switches in the system; and

writing the at least one disjoint multi-path into a forwarding table of each switch.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a change in the system;

re-calculating at least one disjoint multi-path between each switch and all other switches in the system in response to the change in the system; and

writing the at least one disjoint multi-path into a forwarding table of each switch,

wherein the change in the system comprises one of;

addition of a switch to the system, removal of a switch from the system, and change of a property of a switch in the system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in the system affecting a disjoint multi-path between the source device and a destination device;

re-calculating one or more disjoint multi-paths from the source device to the destination device in response to the change in the system; and

writing the one or more re-calculated disjoint multi-paths into the forwarding table of at least one of;

the source device and the nearest shared switch to the source device,

wherein the change in the system comprises one of;

addition of a switch to the system, removal of a switch from the system, and change of a property of a switch in the system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more disjoint multi-paths from the source device to the destination device are calculated in response to a request from the source device or the nearest shared switch to the source device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more disjoint multi-paths comprise at least two paths that are disjoint from one another resulting in at least one filly redundant path.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a control plane for each of the plurality of switches is controlled by a controller of the system.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to operate as an OpenFlow controller.