System and method for dynamic maintenance of fabric subsets in a network

• US 8,031,703 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadam, Vishal P., Balakrishnan, Nivetha, Bhat, Rohit G., Gottumukkula, Aditya
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh; Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haliyur; Venkatesh
• Application Number:
  US12/246,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20100040053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 370228-503, 709220-224
• US Class Current: 370/357
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/357 Fibre channel switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A networking device includes a port, and a management module that identifies fabric subsets that include networked devices that can exchange information with each other, detects that a networked device was uncoupled from the networking device, and modifies the fabric subsets. A Fibre Channel switch includes ports, zones and a management module. Each zone includes subsets of devices coupled to the ports, and permits the subset of devices to exchange information with each other. The management module detects when a device becomes uncoupled from a port and automatically updates the zones to restrict the device from exchanging information with other devices. A method includes identifying fabric subsets in a network, selecting a fabric subset that includes networked devices that are permitted to exchange information with each other, detecting that one of the networked devices has become uncoupled from the network, and automatically modifying a portion of the network fabric.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

within a network fabric, identifying a plurality of fabric subsets, such that networked devices coupled to the network fabric that are included in a particular fabric subset of the plurality of fabric subsets are permitted to exchange information with each other;

identifying a plurality of fabric subset configurations, such that each particular fabric subset configuration includes one or more fabric subsets of the plurality of fabric subsets that are active when the particular fabric subset configuration is active;

detecting that a first networked device has become uncoupled from the network fabric; and

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled;

automatically modifying the plurality of fabric subsets; and

automatically modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations

wherein;

a first fabric subset includes the first networked device; and

a first fabric subset configuration includes the first fabric subset;

modifying the plurality of fabric subsets comprises modifying the first fabric subset such that the modified first fabric subset does not include the first networked device; and

modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations comprises modifying the first fabric subset configuration such that the modified first fabric subset configuration does not include the first fabric subset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first fabric subset includes a second networked device; and

modifying the plurality of fabric subsets comprises creating a second fabric subset that does not include the first networked device and that includes the second networked device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the plurality of fabric subsets further comprises deleting the first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network fabric is a Fibre Channel network; and

the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein:

a first fabric subset configuration includes the first fabric subset and a third fabric subset; and

modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations comprises creating a second fabric subset configuration that does not include the first fabric subset and that includes the third fabric subset.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the plurality of fabric subset configurations further comprises deleting the first fabric subset configuration from among the plurality of fabric subset configurations.

5. A networking device, comprising:

a port operable to couple to a first networked device; and

a management module operable to;

within a network fabric, identify a plurality of fabric subsets, such that networked devices coupled to the network fabric that are included in a particular fabric subset of the plurality of fabric subsets are permitted to exchange information with each other;

identify a plurality of fabric subset configurations, such that each particular fabric subset configuration includes one or more fabric subsets of the plurality of fabric subsets that are active when the particular fabric subset configuration is active;

detect that the first networked device has become uncoupled from the port; and

in response to detecting that the first networked device has become uncoupled;

modify the plurality of fabric subsets; and

modify the plurality of fabric subset configurations;

wherein;

a first fabric subset includes the first networked device and a second networked device;

a first fabric subset configuration includes the first fabric subset and a third fabric subset; and

the management module is further operable to modify the plurality of fabric subsets such that a second fabric subset that does not include the first networked device and that includes the second networked device is created, and to modify the plurality of fabric subset configurations such that a second fabric subset configuration that does not include the first fabric subset and that includes the third fabric subset is created.

6. The networking device of claim 5, wherein the management module is further operable to modify the plurality of fabric subsets such that the first fabric subset does not include the first networked device.

7. The networking device of claim 5, wherein the management module is further operable to modify the plurality of fabric subsets such that such that the first fabric subset from among the plurality of fabric subsets is deleted.

8. The networking device of claim 5, wherein:

the network fabric is a Fibre Channel network; and

the plurality of fabric subsets comprises a plurality of zones.

9. A Fibre Channel switch, comprising:

a plurality of ports;

a plurality of zones, each zone comprising a subset of a plurality of devices operably coupled to the plurality of ports, each zone being operable to;

permit the subset of the plurality of devices associated with each particular zone to exchange information; and

restrict a remainder of the plurality of devices not associated with each particular zone from exchanging information with the subset of the plurality of devices associated each particular zone;

a plurality of configurations, each configuration comprising a subset of the plurality of zones, such that each particular configuration includes one or more zones that are active when the particular configuration is active; and

a management module operable to;

determine a particular device that is operably coupled to a particular port as being uncoupled from the particular port for longer than a predetermined amount of time;

automatically update the plurality of zones to restrict the particular device from exchanging information with other devices; and

automatically update the plurality of configurations.

10. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 9, wherein the management module is further operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device among the subset of the plurality of devices no longer includes the particular device.

11. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 10, wherein the management module is operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that, for each particular zone that includes only on of the plurality of devices, the management module is operable to delete the each particular zone.

12. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 9, wherein the management module is operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that the management module is operable to make a copy of each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device, except that the copy of the each of the plurality of zones does not include the particular device.

13. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 12, wherein the management module is further operable to automatically update the plurality of zones such that the management module is operable to delete the each of the plurality of zones that includes the particular device.

14. The Fibre Channel switch of claim 9, wherein the management module is operable to determine the particular device as being uncoupled from the particular port when the particular device has not been logged onto the Fibre Channel switch for a particular amount of time.