Fiber channel arbitrated loop dynamic loop sizing
First Claim
1. A communication system comprising:
- (a) at least a first and a second communication link redundantly interconnecting at least a first host device with a plurality of target devices via routing devices, the communication links being enabled for sustaining communication transmissions; and
, (b) control apparatus enabled to control the routing devices such that the communication transmissions bypass a first subset of the target devices relative to the first communication link, and bypass a second subset of the target devices relative to the second communication link, wherein each subset includes at least one operational target device, and wherein each subset is bypassed during normal communication system operating conditions for improved system performance and efficiency of communication transmissions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop communications architecture, dynamic loop sizing includes selectively bypassing operational device ports in the loop in order to minimize overhead associated with loop size. In redundant systems with multiple loops, the system is optimized by judicious distribution of the bypassed ports among the loops. Redundancy is at no point reduced. By bypassing unused or unneeded ports off of a loop, the round trip delay of the loop is appreciably shortened. By minimizing the round trip delay, arbitration overhead and access latency is reduced, and loop bandwidth and overall performance is improved. Dynamic load sharing balances the load between the dual loops when using dual ported devices on the loops. Dynamic load sharing is accomplished by bypassing a given subset of devices off each loop to reduce round trip delay; monitoring traffic on the loops; and controlling which devices are attached to which loop in order to balance the load across the loops. Dynamic system configuration features provide an optimized system configuration on a discretely continuous basis, including implementing dynamic loop sizing, dynamic load sharing, and managing the interconnection of multiple loops and controllers.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A communication system comprising:
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(a) at least a first and a second communication link redundantly interconnecting at least a first host device with a plurality of target devices via routing devices, the communication links being enabled for sustaining communication transmissions; and
,(b) control apparatus enabled to control the routing devices such that the communication transmissions bypass a first subset of the target devices relative to the first communication link, and bypass a second subset of the target devices relative to the second communication link, wherein each subset includes at least one operational target device, and wherein each subset is bypassed during normal communication system operating conditions for improved system performance and efficiency of communication transmissions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A redundant communication system comprising:
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(a) one or more fibre channel arbitrated loops interconnecting one or more controller devices and a plurality of target devices via a respective plurality of routing devices;
(b) communication lines interconnecting the one or more controller devices with the routing devices; and
,(c) management apparatus in connection with the one or more controller devices for managing the routing devices such that communication transmissions bypass a unique subset of the target devices on each loop via the respective routing devices, wherein each subset includes at least one operational target device, and wherein each subset is bypassed during normal communication system operating conditions for improved system performance and efficiency of communication transmissions.
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18. A method for improving performance in a redundant communication system having at least one controller device, a plurality of target devices, a respective plurality of routing devices, and at least two communication links interconnecting the at least one controller device and target devices via the routing devices, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) establishing a communication transmission path for each communication link such that a subset of target devices particular to each link are bypassed via the respective routing devices, each subset including at least one operational target device, and wherein each subset is bypassed during normal communication system operating conditions for improved system performance and efficiency of communication transmissions; and
,(b) enabling communication transmissions to a selected target device via the respective communication link for which the selected target device is not bypassed. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A communication system comprising:
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(a) at least one host device;
(b) a plurality of target devices;
(c) a routing network for interconnecting the at least one host device with any or all of the plurality of target devices, the routing network enabled to sustain communication transmissions; and
,(d) control apparatus for controlling the routing network for interconnecting the at least one host device with any or all of the plurality of target devices such that fibre channel loops are dynamically formed and such that for at least one of the loops formed over which communication transmissions occur, a subset of target devices, including at least one operational target device, is bypassed to reduce loop transmission delay on that loop as communication transmissions occur over that loop during normal communication system operating conditions. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for enabling operation in a redundant communication system having at least one controller device, a plurality of target devices, a respective plurality of routing devices, and at least two communication links interconnecting the at least one controller device and target devices via the routing devices, the computer-executable instructions for performing steps including:
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(a) establishing a communication transmission path for each communication link such that a subset of target devices particular to each link are bypassed via the respective routing devices, each subset including at least one operational target device, and wherein each subset is bypassed during normal communication system operating conditions for improved system performance and efficiency of communication transmissions; and
,(b) enabling communication transmissions to a selected target device via the respective communication link for which the selected target device is not bypassed.
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Specification