Method and apparatus for preventing loops in a network by controlling broadcasts
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- at a node that is part of a first cluster of nodes arranged in a ring configuration in a network and configured to communicate with every other one of the nodes of the first cluster, broadcasting a first frame to a second cluster of nodes in the network on a plurality of point-to-point interconnects that are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications and that are connected between the first cluster and the second cluster;
at the node that is part of the first cluster, receiving from a node in the second cluster a second frame on a first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects;
broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster;
at nodes in the first cluster, recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects and that the second frame is a received frame; and
at nodes in the first cluster that control a corresponding one of the plurality of interconnects and which receive the second frame, blocking the second frame from being returned to the second cluster from the first cluster on any of the plurality of interconnects after broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster and recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for eliminating loops associated with interconnects between clusters are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a cluster of an interconnect group that includes at least one node and is in communication with a plurality of interconnects includes broadcasting a first frame on the interconnects. The method also includes receiving a second frame, the second frame being received on only a first interconnect, and blocking the second frame from being broadcast on the first interconnect. Finally, the method includes broadcasting the received second frame throughout the cluster such that no node in the cluster receives more than one copy of the second frame.
242 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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at a node that is part of a first cluster of nodes arranged in a ring configuration in a network and configured to communicate with every other one of the nodes of the first cluster, broadcasting a first frame to a second cluster of nodes in the network on a plurality of point-to-point interconnects that are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications and that are connected between the first cluster and the second cluster; at the node that is part of the first cluster, receiving from a node in the second cluster a second frame on a first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects; broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster; at nodes in the first cluster, recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects and that the second frame is a received frame; and at nodes in the first cluster that control a corresponding one of the plurality of interconnects and which receive the second frame, blocking the second frame from being returned to the second cluster from the first cluster on any of the plurality of interconnects after broadcasting the second frame to nodes within the first cluster and recognizing the first interconnect of the plurality of interconnects. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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5. A system comprising:
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a plurality of nodes arranged in a ring configuration in a cluster within a network; and a plurality of interconnects configured to connect the cluster to a corresponding one of a plurality of subclusters of nodes in an other cluster of nodes in the network, wherein the plurality of interconnects are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications between nodes in the cluster and nodes in the other cluster to receive messages at nodes in the cluster from nodes in the other cluster and to send messages from the nodes in the cluster to nodes in the other cluster, wherein the plurality of interconnects are configured to receive a frame broadcast to nodes within the cluster from the other cluster; and wherein nodes of the cluster that are configured to control corresponding interconnects are configured to determine and recognize one of the plurality of interconnects on which the frame was transmitted from the other cluster to the cluster and to block the frame from being returned back to the other cluster on any one of the plurality of interconnects once the nodes of the cluster determine that the frame originated on one of the plurality of interconnects. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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11. A system comprising:
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a first cluster of nodes in a network comprising a plurality of subclusters each of which comprises one or more nodes; a second cluster of nodes in the network in a ring configuration; and a plurality of interconnects between the first cluster and the second cluster, wherein the interconnects are configured to carry broadcast and unicast communications; wherein each of the interconnects is designated to send messages to and receive messages from one or more nodes in a corresponding subcluster; wherein the plurality of interconnects are configured to receive a first frame broadcast to the plurality of interconnects from one or more nodes in the first cluster and to send the frame to one or more nodes in the second cluster, and to receive a second frame broadcast from one or more nodes in the second cluster to a particular subcluster of the first cluster on a particular interconnect that is dedicated to the particular subcluster; and wherein nodes in the first cluster which are configured to control a corresponding one of the plurality of interconnects are configured to recognize particular interconnects that receive the first frame and the second frame and to block the second frame from being returned to the second cluster from the first cluster on any of the plurality of interconnects. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification