INTERCONNECT ERROR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20150016277A1
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Hana Schuster, Pearce, Jason Garth
• Application Number:
  US13/938,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20150016277A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors

Abstract

A IHS network includes a first switch having first switch ports and a respective visual port indicator associated with each of the first switch ports. A second switch having second switch ports is included in the IHS network, and at least one interconnect connects one of the second switch ports to one of the first switch ports on the first switch. A fabric manager is coupled to the IHS network and operable to communicate with the first switch and the second switch to determine that one of the first switch ports on the first switch is that associated with a fabric interconnect error. The fabric manager then communicates with the first switch to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the one of the first switch ports that is associated with the fabric interconnect error to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

Claims

1. An interconnect error notification system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory coupled to the processor and including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to provide a fabric manager that is operable to;

communicate with a first switch that is part of a fabric that includes a second switch, wherein the first switch include a plurality of ports that are each associated with a respective visual port indicator located on the first switch, and at least one of the plurality of ports on the first switch is connected by an interconnect to the second switch;

determine that a fabric interconnect error is associated with a first port of the plurality of ports on the first switch; and

communicate with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port and that is located on the first switch to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

2. The interconnect error notification system of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes directly controlling the respective visual port indicator using diagnostic controls provided by the first switch.

3. The interconnect error notification system of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes generating and sending traffic to the first port to cause the respective visual port indicator to provide the visual indication.

4. The interconnect error notification system of claim 3, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes configuring the first port with a separate access virtual local area network (VLAN) and then generating and sending the traffic to that VLAN.

5. The interconnect error notification system of claim 1, wherein the fabric manager is further operable to:

determine that the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port is a single color visual port indicator;

retrieve a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the single color visual port indicator; and

communicate the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the single color visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

6. The interconnect error notification system of claim 1, wherein the fabric manager is further operable to:

determine that the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port is a multi-color visual port indicator;

retrieve a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the multi-color visual port indicator; and

communicate the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the multi-color visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

7. The cabling error notification system of claim 1, wherein the fabric interconnect error is determined in response to determining either that an interconnect connecting the first port to the second switch is connected to a wrong port, or that the first port is not connected to an interconnect.

8. An information handling system (IHS) network, comprising:

a fabric including;

a first switch including a plurality of first switch ports and a respective visual first switch port indicator associated with each of the plurality of first switch ports;

a second switch including a plurality of second switch ports and a respective visual second switch port indicator associated with each of the plurality of second switch ports; and

at least one interconnect connecting one of the plurality of first switch ports to one of the plurality of second switch ports; and

a fabric manager coupled to the fabric, wherein the fabric manager is operable to;

communicate with the first switch and the second switch;

determine that the first switch includes an error first switch port of the plurality of first switch ports that is that associated with a fabric interconnect error; and

communicate with the first switch to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port and that is located on the first switch to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

9. The IHS network of claim 8, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes directly controlling the respective visual first switch port indicator using diagnostic controls provided by the first switch.

10. The IHS network of claim 8, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes generating and sending traffic to the error first switch port to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator to provide the visual indication.

11. The IHS network of claim 10, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes configuring the error first switch port with a separate access virtual local area network (VLAN) and then generating and sending the traffic to that VLAN.

12. The IHS network of claim 8, wherein the fabric manager is further operable to:

determine that the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port is a single color visual port indicator;

retrieve a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the single color visual port indicator; and

communicate the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the single color visual port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

13. The IHS network of claim 8, wherein the fabric manager is further operable to:

determine that the respective visual first switch port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port is a multi-color visual port indicator;

retrieve a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the multi-color visual port indicator; and

communicate the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the multi-color visual port indicator that is associated with the error first switch port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

14. The IHS network of claim 8, wherein the fabric interconnect error is determined in response to determining either that the error first switch port should not be connected to one of the second switch ports on the second switch by the at least one interconnect, or that the error first switch port is not connected to the at least one interconnect.

15. A method for interconnect error notification, comprising:

communicating with a first switch that is part of a fabric that includes a second switch, wherein the first switch include a plurality of ports that are each associated with a respective visual port indicator located on the first switch, and at least one of the plurality of ports on the first switch is connected by an interconnect to the second switch;

determining that a fabric interconnect error is associated with a first port of the plurality of ports on the first switch; and

communicate with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port and that is located on the first switch to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes directly controlling the respective visual port indicator using diagnostic controls provided by the first switch.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the communicating with the first switch to cause the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error includes generating and sending traffic to the first port to cause the respective visual port indicator to provide the visual indication.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port is a single color visual port indicator;

retrieving a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the single color visual port indicator; and

communicating the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the single color visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining that the respective visual port indicator that is associated with the first port is a multi-color visual port indicator;

retrieving a visual indication instruction that is associated with the fabric interconnect error and the multi-color visual port indicator; and

communicating the visual indication instruction to the first switch to cause the multi-color visual port indicator that is associated with the first port to visually indicate the fabric interconnect error.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the fabric interconnect error is determined in response to determining either that an interconnect connecting the first port to the second switch is connected to a wrong port, or that the first port is not connected to an interconnect.