System and method for supporting fibre channel over ethernet communication

• US 8,711,864 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chengdu Huawei Symantec Technologies Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ko, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAGLO, EMMANUEL K
• Application Number:
  US12/750,281
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/395, 370/395.53, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/395.53
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272

Abstract

A system and method for transmitting packets over two different network protocols without protocol conversion in any switches. A computer system comprises host computers and target storage arrays, or targets, coupled to one another through a Enhanced Ethernet network. Each of the host computers and the targets is configured to transmit encapsulated packets, such as a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) packet. During system configuration, each of the targets is set to be the only target included in a virtual local area network (VLAN) with a corresponding unique VLAN identifier (ID). A given host computer logins to multiple assigned targets using a predefined Fiber Channel protocol. In response to a login request, a corresponding target assigns and conveys a N_Port ID that comprises a VLAN ID and a unique Host ID to the host computer in a reply message. A virtual link is established between the host computer and the target storage array.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

one or more host computers, configured to send and receive packets according to a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) network protocol;

one or more target storage arrays, configured to communicate with the one or more host computers using the FCoE network protocol, wherein each target storage array is included in a virtual local area network (VLAN) with one of the host computers;

wherein each of the one or more host computers is configured to;

identify one or more VLANs of which the host computer is a member, wherein each VLAN is uniquely identified by a VLAN ID and includes just one of the target storage arrays; and

send a separate login message to the target storage array in each of the identified VLANs;

wherein each of the one or more target storage arrays is configured to;

send a node port (N_Port) ID to the host computer in the VLAN comprising a host ID and the VLAN ID in response to receiving a login message from the given host computer, wherein the host ID uniquely identifies the host computer in the VLAN;

extract Fibre Channel (FC) frames from received FCoE packets; and

encapsulate FC frames in FCoE packets;

wherein the VLAN is established between the host computer and the target storage array without an FCoE Forwarder (FCF) or an FCoE switch.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the extracted FC frames identify a read or write memory operation to be performed within a target storage array receiving the FCoE packets.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein FCoE packets conveyed in the system include the VLAN ID and the host ID.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein packets conveyed between a particular host and a target include a VLAN ID and a host ID which identify the particular host.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the one or more target storage arrays is further configured to disable a host computer from sending a polling signal, wherein the polling signal corresponds to a FCoE Keep Alive (FKA) message.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more target storage arrays is further configured to generate the unique host ID by utilizing at least one of the following:

a random number generator and a counter.

7. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the one or more target storage arrays is further configured to send a FC Mapped Address Prefix (FC-MAP) to the given host computer, in response to receiving a login message from the given host computer, wherein the FC-MAP is included in the Ethernet source and destination MAC addresses.

8. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the one or more host computers is further configured to access a predetermined storage location to identify the one or more target storage arrays assigned to the host computer.

9. A method comprising:

for each of one or more host computers configured to send and receive packets according to a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) network protocol;

identifying one or more virtual local area network (VLANs) of which one of the host computers is a member, wherein each VLAN is uniquely identified by a VLAN ID and includes just one of the target storage arrays; and

sending a separate login message to a target storage array in each of the identified VLANs, wherein each target storage array is included in VLAN with the host computer;

for each of the one or more target storage arrays;

sending a node port (N_Port) ID to the host computer in the VLAN comprising a host ID and the VLAN ID, in response to receiving a login message from the given host computer, wherein the host ID uniquely identifies the host computer in the VLAN;

extracting Fibre Channel (FC) frames from received FCoE packets; and

encapsulating FC frames in FCoE packets;

wherein an FCoE Forwarder (FCF) or an FCoE switch is absent in an end-to-end communication between each of the one or more host computers and the only target storage array.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, the extracted FC frames identify a read or write memory operation to be performed within a target storage array receiving the FCoE packets.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said packets include the VLAN ID and the host ID.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein packets conveyed between a particular host and a target include a VLAN ID and host ID which identify the particular host.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising disabling a host computer from sending a polling signal, wherein the polling signal corresponds to a FCoE Keep Alive (FKA) message.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising generating the unique host ID by utilizing at least one of the following:

a random number generator and a counter.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising sending a FC Mapped Address Prefix (FC-MAP) to the given host computer, in response to receiving a login message from the given host computer, wherein the FC-MAP is included in the Ethernet source and destination MAC addresses.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising accessing a predetermined storage location to identify the one or more target storage arrays assigned to the host computer.

17. A network adapter card included in a target storage array, wherein the target storage array is included in a virtual local area network (VLAN) with one host computer, the network adapter card comprising:

one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) configured to;

receive a login message from the host computer, wherein the target storage array is configured to communicate with the host computer according to a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) network protocol;

send a node port (N_Port) ID to the host computer comprising a host ID and a VLAN ID that uniquely identifies each VLAN, in response to receiving the login message from the host computer, wherein the host ID uniquely identifies the host computer in the VLAN, wherein each VLAN includes just one of the target storage arrays;

extract Fibre Channel (FC) frames from received FCoE packets; and

encapsulate FC frames in FCoE packets;

wherein an FCoE Forwarder (FCF) or an FCoE switch is absent in an end-to-end communication between the host computer and the target storage array.

18. The network adapter card as recited in claim 17, wherein the extracted FC frames identify a read or write memory operation to be performed within a target storage array receiving the FCoE packets.

19. The network adapter card as recited in claim 18, wherein FCoE packets conveyed in the system include the VLAN ID and the host ID.

20. The network adapter card as recited in claim 19, wherein packets conveyed between a particular host and a target include a VLAN ID and host ID which identify the particular host.