Message distribution across fibre channel fabrics

• US 7,751,341 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Rituparna, Raghavendra, Sudheer Yelanduru, Chatterjee, Joy, Banerjee, Subrata, Ramaswamy, Badrinarayanan, Edsall, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, MARCUS
• Application Number:
  US10/959,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches

Abstract

According to the present invention, methods and apparatus are provided to allow for distribution of fiber channel messages. Messages associated with a variety of applications can be distributed within a single logical fabric to physical connected but logically disconnected fabrics. Interconnecting switches forward messages to neighboring fabrics and aggregate responses before replying to a first fabric.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting messages across logical fibre channel fabrics, the method comprising:

determining that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

distributing messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric;

receiving replies corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply from the first interconnecting switch indicates that the first interconnecting switch was successful in forwarding the messages to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches and aggregating responses to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches before sending a reply, wherein the first interconnecting switch detects that the distributed messages do not indicate the second logical fibre channel fabric and adds a fabric identifier identifying the second logical fibre channel fabric to the forwarded messages;

wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches including a second interconnecting switch that is included in both the second logical fibre channel fabric and a third logical fibre channel fabric;

wherein connecting a third interconnecting switch to the third logical fibre channel fabric does not change routing configuration information at the first interconnecting switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interconnecting switch receives replies corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply from the second interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of third logical fibre channel fabric switches.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein information is distributed in a coordinated manner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein information is distributed in a uncoordinated manner until it is determined that coordinated distribution is pending.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches while information is distributed to the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein distributed information is synchronization information used to synchronize the plurality of logical fibre channel switches in the first and second logical fibre channel networks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical fibre channel network is a first logical storage area network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second logical fibre channel network is a second logical storage area network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical fibre channel network is a first physical storage area network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second logical fibre channel network is a second physical storage area network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages are messages setting device aliases.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed messages comprise application service messages.

14. A logical fibre channel switch, comprising:

memory;

a processor coupled to memory, the processor operable to determine that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

an output interface coupled to the processor, the output interface operable to distribute messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric,

an input interface coupled to the processor, the input interface operable to receive replies corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply from the first interconnecting switch indicates that the first interconnecting switch was successful in forwarding the messages to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches and aggregating responses to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches before sending a reply, wherein the first interconnecting switch detects that the distributed messages do not indicate the second logical fibre channel fabric and adds a fabric identifier identifying the second logical fibre channel fabric to the forwarded messages;

wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches including a second interconnecting switch that is included in both the second logical fibre channel fabric and a third logical fibre channel fabric;

wherein connecting a third interconnecting switch to the third logical fibre channel fabric does not change routing configuration information at the first interconnecting switch.

15. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 14, wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches.

16. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 14, wherein the service is a particular version of an application.

17. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 16, wherein the application is not aware of the switches it is communicating with.

18. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 14, wherein the first and second logical fibre channel fabric switches reside in a third logical fabric.

19. The logical fibre channel switch of claim 15, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

20. The logical fibre channel switch method of claim 14, wherein the distributed messages comprise application service messages.

21. A method for distributing information from a logical fibre channel switch, the method comprising:

determining that a plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches support a service;

distributing application service messages associated with the service to the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches including a first interconnecting switch that is included in both a first logical fibre channel fabric and a second logical fibre channel fabric;

receiving replies corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of first logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply from the first interconnecting switch indicates that the first interconnecting switch was successful in forwarding the application service messages to a plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches and aggregating responses to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches before sending a reply, wherein the first interconnecting switch detects that the distributed messages do not indicate the second logical fibre channel fabric and adds a fabric identifier identifying the second logical fibre channel fabric to the forwarded messages;

wherein the first interconnecting switch distributes application service messages to the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches including a second interconnecting switch that is included in both the second logical fibre channel fabric and a third logical fibre channel fabric;

wherein connecting a third interconnecting switch to the third logical fibre channel fabric does not change routing configuration information at the first interconnecting switch.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the messages distributed by the first interconnecting switch include information indicating that first logical fibre channel fabric switches have already been sent messages.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first interconnecting switch receives replies corresponding to the distributed messages from the plurality of second logical fibre channel fabric switches, wherein receiving a reply from the second interconnecting switch indicates that messages were successfully distributed to a plurality of third logical fibre channel fabric switches.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein information is distributed in a coordinated manner.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein information is distributed in a uncoordinated manner.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising locking the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches while information is distributed to the first plurality of logical fibre channel switches.