System for detecting errors in a network

• US 6,208,616 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mahalingam, Mallikarjunan, Wallach, Walter August
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US08/942,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/216, 370/217, 370/218, 370/219, 370/220, 370/221, 370/222, 370/223, 370/224, 370/364, 370/85.4, 370/455, 370/254, 395/500, 709/250, 709/236, 709/230, 714/4, 714/9
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/85 Active fault masking without idle spares
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4013 Management of data rate on the bus systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 : by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 : Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 : Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 : Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 : for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system is described for providing fault tolerance within a computer system. The system provides a method for allowing multiple network interface cards to reside within the same computer system. If the primary network interface card fails, a secondary network interface card automatically begins managing the network communications. In addition, a system that provides load-sharing of data transmissions between each network interface card installed in a server computer is described.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a protocol stack;

a plurality of network interface cards (NICs) and a second in communication with the protocol stack; and

a program module in communication with said protocol stack, wherein said program module includes instructions for routing data packets from said protocol stack, wherein said routing comprises,

designating one of the plurality of NICs as a primary NIC and designating the remainder of the NICs as secondary NICs;

sending a probe packet to each of the NICs;

attempting to receive a return packet in response to the probe packet from each of the NICs;

if a return packet is not received from an NIC in the group, designating the NIC a failed NIC;

redirecting packets that were originally addressed to the failed NIC to at least one other NIC through the protocol stack;

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC, designating another NIC as a new primary NIC;

sending a probe packet to the failed NIC;

attempting to receive a return packet from the failed NIC; and

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC and a return packet is received from the failed primary NIC, designating the failed NIC as a secondary NIC.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said protocol stack is selected from the group consisting of TCP/IP, IPX/SPX and NETBEUI.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said routing further comprises;

binding the plurality of NICs into a group, wherein a group is coupled to a network segment;

designating one of the plurality of NICs in the group as a primary NIC and designating the remainder of the NICs in the group as secondary NICs, wherein the primary NIC is an only NIC visible to an operating system coupled to the network segment;

attempting to receive a return packet in response to the probe packet from each of the NICs in the group;

if a return packet is not received from an NIC in the group, designating the NIC a failed NIC;

redirecting packets from the failed NIC to at least one other NIC in the group;

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC, designating another NIC in the group as a new primary NIC;

sending a probe packet to the failed NIC;

attempting to receive a return packet from the failed NIC;

if a return packet is received from the failed NIC;

binding the failed NIC into the group; and

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC and a return packet is received from the failed primary NIC, binding the failed NIC into the group as a secondary NIC.

4. A programmed storage device for load balancing network traffic between a plurality of network interface cards, comprising instructions that when executed perform the method of:

determining an address of a primary network interface card (NIC) and an address of a secondary NIC in a computer system;

binding said primary NIC and said secondary NIC into a group; and

routing a portion of a plurality of data packets sent to the address of said primary NIC to address of said secondary NIC, wherein routing comprises,

sending a probe packet to each of the NICs in the group;

attempting to receive a return packet in response to the probe packet from each of the NICs in group;

if a return packet is not received from an NIC in the group, designating the NIC a failed NIC;

redirecting packets from the failed NIC to at least one other NIC in the group;

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC designating another NIC in the group as a new primary NIC;

sending a probe packet to the failed NIC;

attempting to receive a return packet from the failed NIC;

if a return packet is received from the failed NIC;

binding the failed NIC into the group; and

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC and a return packet is received from the failed primary NIC, binding the failed NIC into the group as a secondary NIC.

5. The programmed storage device of claim 4, wherein said programmed storage device is selected from a group consisting of:

a Random Access Memory, a Read Only Memory, a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive and a CD-ROM.

6. The programmed storage device of claim 4, wherein said address is a Media Access Control address.

7. A method of rerouting network packets in a network, comprising:

binding a plurality of network interface cards (NICs) into a group, wherein a group is coupled to a network segment, and wherein each of the plurality of network interface cards is in communication with a protocol stack;

designating one of the plurality of NICs in the group as a primary NIC and designating the remainder of the NICs in the group as secondary NICs, wherein the primary NIC is an only NIC visible to an operating system coupled to the network segment;

sending a probe packet to each of the NICs in the group;

attempting to receive a return packet in response to the probe packet from each of the NICs in the group;

if a return packet is not received from an NIC in the group, designating the NIC a failed NIC;

redirecting packets from that were originally directed to the failed NIC to at least one other NIC in the group through the protocol stack;

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC, designating another NIC in the group as a new primary NIC;

sending a probe packet to the failed NIC;

attempting to receive a return packet from the failed NIC;

if a return packet is received from the failed NIC;

binding the failed NIC into the group; and

if the failed NIC is the primary NIC and a return packet is received from the failed primary NIC, binding the failed NIC into the group as a secondary NIC.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the group is one of a plurality of groups in the network, and wherein each group is coupled to a network segment.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a packet from the network that is addresses to at least one of the NICs in the group;

determining whether the packet is a probe packet;

if the packet is a probe packet;

if the packet is a probe packet, updating a state of the at least one NIC to indicate that the probe packet was correctly sent; and

dismissing the probe packet.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

if the packet is not a probe packet, determining whether the packet is from a primary NIC;

if the packet is from a primary NIC, passing the packet to a protocol stack;

if the packet is not from a primary NIC, determining whether the packet is a broadcast packet;

if the packet is a broadcast packet, discarding the packet; and

if the packet is not a broadcast packet, passing the packet to the protocol stack.