Method and system for routing fibre channel frames

• US 7,936,771 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: QLogic Corporation (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Dropps, Frank R., Papenfuss, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOAKYE, ALEXANDER O
• Application Number:
  US12/189,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/231, 370/235, 370/236, 370/389, 370/395, 370/400, 370/412, 370/417, 370/463, 370/474, 370/503, 370/235.1, 370/428, 370/429, 370/395.4
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

A method and system for transmitting frames using a fiber channel switch element is provided. The switch element includes a port having a receive segment and a transmit segment, wherein the fiber channel switch element determines if a port link has been reset; determines if a flush state has been enabled for the port; and removes frames from a buffer, if the flush state has been enabled for the port. For a flush state operation, frames are removed from a receive buffer of the fiber channel port as if it is a typical fiber channel frame transfer. The removed frames are sent to a processor for analysis. The method also includes, setting a control bit for activating frame removal from the transmit buffer; and diverting frames that are waiting in the transmit buffer and have not been able to move from the transmit buffer.

Claims

1. A method for a switch element, comprising:

configuring a port of the switch element to operate in a repeat frame mode;

wherein during the repeat frame mode a transmit segment of the port continuously transmits a frame that is received from a common control segment of the switch element;

transferring the frame from the common segment that is managed by processor executable code for the switch element;

continuously transmitting the transferred frame; and

disabling the repeat frame mode using the common control segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeat frame mode is configured by setting a bit value in the common control segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein only the frame from the common control segment is transmitted during the repeat frame mode and any other frame staged at a receive segment of the switch element waits to be transmitted.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeat frame mode is disabled by setting a bit value in the common control segment.

5. A switch element, comprising:

a plurality of ports, each port having a receive segment for receiving frames and a trans-mit segment for transmitting frames; and

a configurable common segment for configuring the plurality of ports;

wherein a port from among the plurality of ports is configured to operate in a repeat frame mode;

wherein during the repeat frame mode a transmit segment of the port continuously transmits a frame that is received from the configurable common control segment of the switch; and

processor executable code for the switch element disables the repeat frame mode using the configurable common control segment.

6. The switch element of claim 5, wherein the repeat frame mode is configured by setting a bit value in the configurable common control segment.

7. The switch element of claim 5, wherein only the frame from the configurable common control segment is transmitted during the repeat frame mode and any other frame staged at a receive segment of the port waits to be transmitted.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the repeat frame mode is disabled by setting a bit value in the configurable common control segment.

9. A method for a switch element for receiving and transmitting frames, comprising:

establishing a disposal policy for handling frames that are removed during a flush state operation;

wherein during the flush state operation a transmit segment of a port from among a plurality of ports of the switch element selectively removes a frame that is temporarily stored at a receive segment of the port;

configuring the port to operate in a flush state;

detecting a condition to trigger the flush state operation;

removing frames stored at the receive segment of the port, without the receive segment being aware of the flush state operation; and

disposing the frame based on the disposal policy set for handling frames that are removed during the flush state operation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a communication link reset is a condition that triggers the flush state operation.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein all frames from a source port are removed during the flush state operation, before frames from another source port are processed.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the disposal policy is established by setting a control bit in a control segment of the switch element.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein frames removed during the flush state operation are discarded.