Methods and devices for exchanging peer parameters between network devices

• US 7,433,326 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Desai, Tushar, Jain, Praveen, Ghosh, Kalyan K., Gupta, Shashank
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Kevin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, CHRISTINE T
• Application Number:
  US10/430,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20040100910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for detecting whether peer ports interconnecting two network devices can perform a novel protocol called Exchange Peer Parameters (“EPP”). If the peer ports are so configured to perform EPP, EPP services are exchanged between the peer ports. In a first phase, information is exchanged about peer port configurations of interest. In a second phase, the results of the exchange of information are applied to hardware and/or software of the respective ports, as needed.

Claims

1. A method for modifying configurations of peer ports interconnecting network devices, the method comprising:

determining whether the interconnected peer ports, comprising a first port of a first network device and a second port of a second network device, support Exchange Peer Parameters protocol;

exchanging configuration information using the Exchange Peer Parameters protocol between the interconnected peer ports;

configuring the interconnected peer ports according to the exchanged information; and

configuring the first port to transmit frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first port and the second port via Exchange Link Parameter protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first port and the second port via Exchange Switch Capability protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanging step comprises exchanging frames in type-length-value format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the exchanging step comprises exchanging frames in a fixed frame length format.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises virtual storage area network information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information comprises trunk mode information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information is exchanged when the interconnected peer ports are being initialized.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information is exchanged when the interconnected peer ports have already been initialized.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration step further comprises configuring the hardware of the interconnected peer ports according to the exchanged information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration step further comprises configuring the software of the interconnected peer ports according to the exchanged information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring step comprises configuring the hardware and/or software of the first port to enable transmission of frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring step comprises informing the second port via Exchange Peer Parameters protocol that the configurations have been applied to the first port.

14. A machine-readable medium containing computer executable instructions to perform a method for causing a first expansion port of a first network device to modify a configuration of a second expansion port of a second network device, the method comprising:

ascertaining whether the interconnected peer ports, comprising the first expansion port of the first network device and the second expansion port of the second network device, support Exchange Peer Parameters protocol; and

, when it is determined that the interconnected peer ports support Exchange Peer Parameters protocol;

exchanging configuration information using the Exchange Peer Parameters protocol between the interconnected peer ports;

determining whether the second expansion port is configurable as a trunking port for transmitting frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format; and

configuring the second expansion port as a trunking port.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first expansion port and the second expansion port via Exchange Link Parameter protocol.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first expansion port and the second expansion port via Exchange Switch Capability protocol.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the configuring step comprises exchanging information between the first expansion port and the second expansion port via Exchange Peer Protocol.

18. An apparatus for modifying a configuration of a network device, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining whether the interconnected peer ports, comprising a first port of a first network device and a second port of a second network device, support Exchange Peer Parameters protocol;

means for exchanging configuration information using the Exchange Peer Parameters protocol between the interconnected peer ports;

means for configuring the interconnected peer ports according to the exchanged information; and

means for configuring the first port to transmit frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the configuration information further comprises trunk configuration information.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the trunk configuration information comprises administratively configured trunk mode information for trunk mode negotiation.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the trunk configuration information comprises virtual storage area network list information.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the trunk configuration information comprises port virtual storage area network information.

28. The apparatus, of claim 24, wherein the administratively configured trunk mode information comprises a setting selected from the group consisting of ON, OFF and AUTO.

19. A first network device for modifying a configuration of a second network device, the first network device configured to perform the following steps:

determining whether a port of the second network device supports Exchange Peer Parameter protocol; and

causing the port to be configured based on configuration information exchanged between the first network device and the port via Exchange Peer Parameters protocol; and

causing the port to be configured to transmit frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.

20. The first network device of claim 19, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first network device and the port via Exchange Link Parameter protocol.

21. The first network device of claim 19, wherein the determining step comprises exchanging information between the first network device and the port via Exchange Switch Capability protocol.

22. The first network device of claim 19, wherein the configuring step comprises exchanging information between the first network device and the port via Exchange Peer Parameter protocol.

23. A method for modifying configurations of peer ports interconnecting network devices, the method comprising:

determining whether the interconnected peer ports, comprising a first port of a first network device and a second port of a second network device, support Exchange Peer Parameters protocol; and

, when it is determined that the interconnected peer ports do not support Exchange Peer Parameter protocol,

selecting a Fibre Channel service that is not Exchange Peer; and

configuring the first port to transmit frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.

29. A first network device for modifying a configuration of a second network device, the first network device comprising:

means for transmitting, receiving and processing a request including link-level parameters;

means for transmitting information relating to services and protocols supported by the first network device;

means for receiving information relating to services and protocols supported by the second network device;

means for selecting and implementing a service or protocol that is supported by the first network device and the second network device;

means for exchanging configuration information between the first and second network device;

means for configuring a port on the second network device to be a trunking port for transmitting frames in Extended lnterswitch Link format.