Multi-chassis link aggregation on network devices

• US 8,761,005 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Subramanian, Krishnamurthy
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSE, KERRI M
• Application Number:
  US13/456,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20120275297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/225, 370/228, 370/252, 370431-434, 370/463
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A data communication network includes a client device and multiple aggregation devices coupled to each other and the client via links within a link aggregation group (“LAG”) across the aggregation devices. The aggregation devices appear to the client as a single device coupled thereto, and operate in conjunction with each other by assigning at least one different identifier to each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices and storing information including the identifiers to association tables located on each of the aggregation devices. The multiple aggregation devices can be separate switches, and the LAG can include multiple ports across the switches, with a different identifier being assigned to each of the ports in the LAG. A virtual link trunk interface can couple aggregation devices, which can reconfigure communication paths thereacross with respect to the client device using the identifiers in the stored association tables when a LAG link fails.

Claims

1. A data network, comprising:

a client device adapted to send and receive data over the network; and

a plurality of separate aggregation devices coupled to each other and coupled to the client device via links within a first link aggregation group (LAG) across the plurality of separate aggregation devices, wherein the plurality of separate aggregation devices are adapted to appear to the client device as a single device coupled thereto and are adapted to work in conjunction with each other by assigning at least one different identifier to each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices and storing information including the identifiers to association tables located on each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices;

wherein the links comprise;

one or more first links coupling a first aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices to the client device and forming a second LAG; and

one or more second links coupling a second aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices to the client device and forming a third LAG;

wherein a first association table of the association tables in the first aggregation device includes an entry associating the second LAG with the third LAG, the third LAG acting as a backup LAG when the second LAG goes down.

2. The data network of claim 1, wherein said plurality of separate aggregation devices includes a plurality of switches.

3. The data network of claim 1, wherein the first link aggregation group includes a plurality of ports across the plurality of separate aggregation devices.

4. The data network of claim 3, wherein a different identifier is assigned to each of the plurality of ports in the first link aggregation group.

5. The data network of claim 3, wherein at least one of the aggregation devices has a plurality of ports in the first link aggregation group.

6. The data network of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of separate aggregation devices are coupled to each other via a virtual link trunk interface.

7. The data network of claim 1, wherein said plurality of separate aggregation devices are adapted to reconfigure the communication paths thereacross with respect to the client device using the identifiers in the stored association tables when one of the links in the first link aggregation group fails.

8. A data network device, comprising:

a plurality of I/O ports, at least a portion of which are adapted to couple to and facilitate communications with a separate client device and are configurable to be part of a designated link aggregation group (LAG) across said data network device and one or more other separate associated data network devices;

a data packet processing component adapted to process data packets, and to receive data packets from and send data packets to the plurality of I/O ports; and

at least one association table adapted to store information with respect to said data network device and the one or more other separate associated data network devices that form the designated link aggregation group, wherein the stored information includes at least one different identifier for each of the data network device and each of the one or more other separate associated data network devices,

wherein said data network device is configured to work in conjunction with the one or more other separate associated data network devices that form the designated link aggregation group to appear to the separate client device as a single device coupled thereto;

wherein said at least one association table includes an entry associating a first LAG coupling the data network device to the client device with a second LAG coupling one of the other separate associated data network devices to the client device.

9. The data network device of claim 8, wherein said data network device comprises a switch.

10. The data network device of claim 9, wherein said switch further comprises:

a switch control functionality component including a plurality of protocols and a master set of association tables.

11. The data network device of claim 10, wherein said switch control functionality component further includes a link aggregation group sub-layer.

12. The data network device of claim 8, wherein said at least one association table includes a layer-2 table.

13. The data network device of claim 8, wherein the designated link aggregation group includes a plurality of ports across said data network device and the one or more other separate associated data network devices.

14. The data network device of claim 13, wherein a different identifier is assigned to each of the plurality of ports in the designated link aggregation group.

15. A method of providing communications over a data network, the method comprising:

designating a first link aggregation group (LAG) on a plurality of ports across a plurality of separate aggregation devices that are all coupled via links to a client device on the data network;

assigning at least one identifier to each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices, wherein each identifier is different than every other identifier;

operating the first link aggregation group across the plurality of separate aggregation devices using the assigned identifiers such that the link aggregation group appears to the client device as a single device on the network; and

maintaining an association table, the association table associating a second LAG between a first aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices and the client device with a third LAG between a second aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices and the client device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

storing the assigned identifiers in association tables on each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said assigning step includes assigning an identifier to every port included in the first link aggregation group.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said plurality of separate aggregation devices comprises a plurality of switches.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining that one of said links has failed; and

reconfiguring one or more communication paths across the plurality of separate aggregation devices using said identifiers in response to said determining.