EXTENDED ETHERNET FABRIC SWITCHES

• US 20150117256A1
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sabaa, Amr, Durrani, Muhammad, Shaikh, Mukhtiar, Jogalekar, Prasad P., Jayaraman, Jayanthi, Adaikalam, Arunkaruppaiya
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/68 Pseudowire emulation, e.g. IETF WG PWE3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a fabric switch module and a learning module. The fabric switch module maintains a membership in a first fabric switch. A fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single switch. The first fabric switch is in an extended fabric switch which further comprises a second fabric switch. The learning module identifies from a notification message from the second fabric switch a media access control (MAC) address learned at the second fabric switch. The learning module stores the MAC address in a local MAC table in association with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second fabric switch.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

a fabric switch module adapted to maintain a membership in a first fabric switch, wherein a fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single switch, and wherein the first fabric switch is in an extended fabric switch which further comprises a second fabric switch; and

a learning module adapted to;

identify from a notification message from the second fabric switch a media access control (MAC) address learned at the second fabric switch; and

store the MAC address in a local MAC table in association with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second fabric switch.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the IP address is a floating IP address and associated with a plurality of member switches of the second fabric switch.

3. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a discovery module adapted to:

identify a discovery message comprising the IP address as a source IP address, wherein the discovery message is a multicast message; and

in response to identifying the discovery message, include the IP address in a neighbor list of the extended fabric switch, wherein the neighbor list includes a respective IP address associated with a respective fabric switch in the extended fabric switch.

4. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to:

identify the MAC address as a destination MAC address of a packet encapsulated in a fabric encapsulation header; and

in response to identifying the MAC address, encapsulate the packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

5. The switch of claim 4, wherein a source MAC address of the packet is associated with a first virtual machine running on a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch;

wherein the destination MAC address of the packet is associated with a second virtual machine running on a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch; and

wherein the first and second virtual machines are in same virtual local area network (VLAN).

6. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to encapsulate an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

7. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to encapsulate a packet destined to a virtual machine in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch to a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch.

8. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to:

identify a packet encapsulated in a first tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header corresponds to a hypervisor; and

encapsulate the encapsulated packet in a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

9. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a high availability module adapted to operate the switch as an active forwarder of an active-standby high availability protocol for a virtual machine;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch to a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch.

10. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to:

identify a packet encapsulated in a fabric encapsulation header, wherein an egress switch identifier of the fabric encapsulation header corresponds to a member switch of the second fabric switch; and

encapsulate the encapsulated packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

11. The switch of claim 10, wherein the fabric encapsulation header is one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header, wherein ingress and egress switch identifiers of the fabric encapsulation header are TRILL routing bridge (RBridge) identifiers; and

an IP header, wherein source and destination addresses of the fabric encapsulation header are IP addresses.

12. A method, comprising:

maintaining a membership of a switch in a first fabric switch, wherein a fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single switch, and wherein the first fabric switch is in an extended fabric switch which further comprises a second fabric switch;

identifying from a notification message from the second fabric switch a media access control (MAC) address learned at the second fabric switch; and

storing the MAC address in a local MAC table in association with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second fabric switch.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the IP address is a floating IP address and associated with a plurality of member switches of the second fabric switch.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a discovery message comprising the IP address as a source IP address, wherein the discovery message is a multicast message; and

in response to identifying the discovery message, including the IP address in a neighbor list of the extended fabric switch, wherein the neighbor list includes a respective IP address associated with a respective fabric switch in the extended fabric switch.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying the MAC address as a destination MAC address of a packet encapsulated in a fabric encapsulation header; and

in response to identifying the MAC address, encapsulating the packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a source MAC address of the packet is associated with a first virtual machine running on a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch;

wherein the destination MAC address of the packet is associated with a second virtual machine running on a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch; and

wherein the first and second virtual machines are in same virtual local area network (VLAN).

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising encapsulating an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising encapsulating a packet destined to a virtual machine in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch to a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a packet encapsulated in a first tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the tunnel encapsulation header corresponds to a hypervisor; and

encapsulating the encapsulated packet in a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising operating the switch as an active forwarder of an active-standby high availability protocol for a virtual machine;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a host machine coupled to the second fabric switch to a host machine coupled to the first fabric switch.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a packet encapsulated in a fabric encapsulation header, wherein an egress switch identifier of the fabric encapsulation header corresponds to a member switch of the second fabric switch; and

encapsulating the encapsulated packet in a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the fabric encapsulation header is one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) header, wherein ingress and egress switch identifiers of the fabric encapsulation header are TRILL routing bridge (RBridge) identifiers; and

an IP header, wherein source and destination addresses of the fabric encapsulation header are IP addresses.

23. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

maintaining a membership of a switch in a first fabric switch, wherein a fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single switch, and wherein the first fabric switch is in an extended fabric switch which further comprises a second fabric switch;

identifying from a notification message from the second fabric switch a media access control (MAC) address learned at the second fabric switch; and

storing the MAC address in a local MAC table in association with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second fabric switch.