Fabric address and sub-address resolution in fabric-backplane enterprise servers
First Claim
1. An apparatus for use with one or more external networks, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one network module having one or more physical network interfaces enabled to couple with respective links of the external networks;
at least one processor-memory module enabled to run software processes and providing software process visible state for each of a plurality of logical network interfaces;
a multi-ported switching fabric, each network and processor-memory module being enabled to couple to a respective port of the switching fabric at a respective fabric address;
wherein the plurality of logical network interfaces share one or more couplings to the switching fabric;
wherein the physical and logical network interfaces are enabled to be associated with respective fabric sub-addresses and Data Link Layer MAC addresses and to selectively exchange Data Link Layer frames among the links and the processes; and
wherein for at least some of the frames received by the network interfaces of each network and processor-memory module, the module is enabled to use at least a destination MAC address of the frame to search a repository of forwarding information and to present the frame to the switch fabric encapsulated with a search-result-provided destination fabric address and destination fabric sub-address.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hybrid server and multi-layer switch system architecture, referred to hereinafter as the Enterprise Fabric (EF) architecture, forms the basis for a number of Enterprise Server (ES) chassis embodiments. Each ES embodiment generally includes one or more Processor Memory Modules (PMMs, each generally having one or more symmetric multiprocessor complexes), one or more Network Modules, and a System Control Module (SCM). The SCM includes a cellified switching-fabric core (SF) and a System Intelligence Module (SIM). Each PMM has one or more resident Virtual IO Controller (VIOC) adapters. Each VIOC is a specialized I/O controller that includes embedded layer-2 forwarding and filtering functions and tightly couples the PMM to the SF. Thus the layer-2 switch functionality within the ES chassis is distributed over all of the SCM, NM, and PMM modules. Through the use of VIOC/VNIC device drivers, host operating system software (Host O/S) running on the PMMs is presented with a plurality of Virtual Network Interface Cards (VNICs). In some embodiments, each VNIC behaves as a high-performance Ethernet interface at the full disposal of the Host O/S. In other embodiments, at least some of the VNICs behave as high-performance Fiber Channel Host Bus Adapters.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for use with one or more external networks, the apparatus comprising:
-
at least one network module having one or more physical network interfaces enabled to couple with respective links of the external networks; at least one processor-memory module enabled to run software processes and providing software process visible state for each of a plurality of logical network interfaces; a multi-ported switching fabric, each network and processor-memory module being enabled to couple to a respective port of the switching fabric at a respective fabric address; wherein the plurality of logical network interfaces share one or more couplings to the switching fabric; wherein the physical and logical network interfaces are enabled to be associated with respective fabric sub-addresses and Data Link Layer MAC addresses and to selectively exchange Data Link Layer frames among the links and the processes; and wherein for at least some of the frames received by the network interfaces of each network and processor-memory module, the module is enabled to use at least a destination MAC address of the frame to search a repository of forwarding information and to present the frame to the switch fabric encapsulated with a search-result-provided destination fabric address and destination fabric sub-address. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
8. An apparatus for use with one or more external networks, the apparatus comprising:
-
at least one network module having one or more physical network interfaces enabled to couple with respective links of the external networks; at least one processor-memory module enabled to run software processes and providing software process visible state for each of a plurality of logical network interfaces; a multi-ported switching fabric, each network and processor-memory module being enabled to couple to a respective port of the switching fabric at a respective fabric address; wherein the physical and logical network interfaces are enabled to be associated with respective fabric sub-addresses and Data Link Layer MAC addresses and to selectively exchange Data Link Layer frames among the links and the processes; wherein for at least some of the frames received by the network interfaces of each module, the module is enabled to present the frame to the switch fabric encapsulated with a destination fabric address and destination fabric sub-address; wherein at least some of the destination fabric address and sub-address are determined in each logical network interface by using a destination MAC address of the frame to search a processor-memory module repository of forwarding information; wherein at least some of the destination fabric addresses and sub-addresses are determined in at least some of the physical network interfaces in accordance with one of at least a first and second mode, the first mode using a destination MAC address of the frame to obtain the destination fabric address and sub-address by searching a network module repository of forwarding information, the destination fabric address and sub-address being set to a programmable static destination fabric address and sub-address in the second mode, each of the at least some of the physical network interfaces being capable of using a different programmable static destination fabric address and sub-address when in the second mode. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification