METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ACCESSING REMOTE DIGITAL DATA OVER A WIDE AREA NETWORK (WAN)

• US 20150334034A1
• Filed: 05/19/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bay Microsystems, Inc. (Vcinity, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bay Microsystems, Inc. (Vcinity, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trinh, Man Dieu, Smedley, Robert, Radee, Soochon, Shelvapille, Suresh, Kinzler, Edward, Smedley, Richard, Senesi, Joseph, Eigenbrode, Daniel, Wolf, John, Ghosh, Anunoy, Jankauskas, Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 11,418,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/39 Credit based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/10 characterised by the switching fabric construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/111 Switch interfaces, e.g. port details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Systems and methods accessing remote digital data over a wide area network (WAN) are disclosed. In an embodiment, a network device is disclosed. The network device includes a local area network (LAN) switching fabric physical interface configured to communicate according to a LAN switching fabric protocol, a WAN physical interface configured to communicate according to a WAN protocol, and a fabric extension function configured to map LAN switching fabric interfaces to pseudo-ports, map pseudo-ports to WAN interfaces, and transmit LAN fabric datagrams received at the LAN switching fabric physical interface from the WAN physical interface via a mapped pseudo-port and a corresponding WAN interface.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a local area network (LAN) switching fabric physical interface configured to communicate according to a LAN switching fabric protocol;

a wide area network (WAN) physical interface configured to communicate according to a WAN protocol;

a fabric extension function configured to;

map LAN switching fabric interfaces to pseudo-ports;

map pseudo-ports to WAN interfaces; and

transmit LAN fabric datagrams received at the LAN switching fabric physical interface from the WAN physical interface via a mapped pseudo-port and a corresponding WAN interface.

2. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port link packets via the WAN physical interface to establish a link across the WAN.

3. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to implement flow control across the WAN.

4. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to implement credit-based flow control across the WAN.

5. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to establish a link across the WAN, wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to implement credit-based flow control across the WAN, and wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive LAN fabric datagrams over the established link via the WAN physical interface according the credit-based flow control.

6. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to establish a link across the WAN, wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive pseudo-port packets via the WAN physical interface to implement XON/XOFF flow control across the WAN, and wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to transmit and receive LAN fabric datagrams over the established link via the WAN physical interface according the XON/XOFF flow control.

7. The network device of claim 1 wherein the fabric extension function is further configured to measure delay through the WAN and to use the measured delay to adjust buffer depths to maintain buffer extension and lossless characteristics of the pseudo-ports.

8. The network device of claim 1 wherein the LAN switching fabric physical interface is configured to communicate according to one of INFINIBAND, Fibre channel, IEEE 802.3x pause fames, Data Center Bridging (DCB), IEEE 802.1Qbb (Priority-based Flow Control), IEEE 802.1 Qaz (Enhanced Transmission Selection), IEEE 802.1Qau (Congestion Notification), OpenFabrics RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), and Omni-Path and wherein the WAN physical interface is configured to interface with SONET, SDH, OTN, dark fiber, Ethernet, or satellite.

9. The network device of claim 1 wherein a pseudo-port is associated with a logical WAN connection that allows a port of the LAN switching fabric to be extended across WAN.

10. A method for accessing remote digital data over a wide area network (WAN), the method comprising:

receiving LAN fabric datagrams at a LAN switching fabric physical interface of a first network device;

mapping the LAN switching fabric interface of the received LAN fabric datagrams to a pseudo-port; and

transmitting the LAN fabric datagrams from a WAN physical interface of the first network device using the mapped pseudo-port.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the LAN fabric datagrams are transmitted from the WAN physical interface of the first network device using credit-based flow control.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the LAN fabric datagrams are transmitted from the WAN physical interface of the first network device using a logical WAN interface carried within the WAN physical interface.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving the LAN fabric datagrams at a WAN physical interface of a second network device;

mapping the pseudo-port of the received LAN fabric datagrams to a LAN switching fabric interface of the second network device; and

transmitting the LAN fabric datagrams from a LAN switching fabric physical interface of the second network device via the mapped LAN switching fabric interface.

14. A method for accessing remote digital data over a wide area network (WAN), the method comprising:

at a first network device that includes a local area network (LAN) switching fabric physical interface configured to communicate according to a LAN switching fabric protocol and a WAN physical interface configured to communicate according to a WAN protocol;

exchanging pseudo-port packets with a WAN physical interface of a second network device to couple the LAN switching fabric across the WAN, the pseudo-port packets comprising;

a field for carrying a pseudo-port identifier;

a link state operations code field for carrying information to establish a link between the first network device and the second network device across the WAN;

a link state field for carrying information about a link state;

exchanging pseudo-port packets with the WAN physical interface of the second network device via the WAN physical interface of the first network device to implement flow control of LAN fabric datagrams that are transmitted across the WAN.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pseudo-port packets comprise a Flow Control Transmit Blocks Sent (FCTBS) field.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the FCTBS field of the pseudo-port packets carries a running count of blocks sent.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the pseudo-port packets comprise a Flow Control Credit Limit (FCCL) field.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the FCCL field of the pseudo-port packets carries rolling count of credits.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the pseudo-port packets comprise a Flow Control Transmit Blocks Sent (FCTBS) field, wherein the FCTBS field of the pseudo-port packets carries a running count of blocks sent, wherein the pseudo-port packets comprise a Flow Control Credit Limit (FCCL) field, wherein the FCCL field of the pseudo-port packets carries rolling count of credits.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the LAN switching fabric physical interface is configured to communicate according to INFINIBAND, Fibre channel, IEEE 802.3x pause fames, Data Center Bridging (DCB), IEEE 802.1Qbb (Priority-based Flow Control), IEEE 802.1 Qaz (Enhanced Transmission Selection), IEEE 802.1Qau (Congestion Notification), OpenFabrics RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), and Omni-Path and wherein the WAN physical interface is configured to interface with SONET, SDH, OTN, dark fiber, Ethernet, or satellite.