Multicast traffic generation using hierarchical replication mechanisms for distributed switches

• US 8,913,620 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Basso, Claude, Greenfield, Todd A., Walk, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cho, Un C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lou, Peian
• Application Number:
  US13/420,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20130242986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 370/355, 370/360, 370/367, 370/390, 370/392, 370396-398, 370/395.41, 370/401, 370/408, 370/428, 370/432
• US Class Current: 370/396
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

A distributed switch may include a hierarchy with one or more levels of surrogate sub-switches (and surrogate bridge elements) that enable the distributed switch to scale bandwidth based on the size of the membership of a multicast group. When a sub-switch receives a multicast data frame, it forwards the packet to one of the surrogate sub-switches. Each surrogate sub-switch may then forward the packet to another surrogate in a different hierarchical level or to a destination computing device. Because the surrogates may transmit the data frame in parallel using two or more connection interfaces, the bandwidth used to forward the multicast packet increases for each surrogate used.

Claims

1. A computer program product of forwarding a multicast data frame in a distributed switch comprising a plurality of switches, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising computer-readable program code configured to;

receive a multicast data frame on a receiving port of an ingress switch in the distributed switch, wherein the receiving port of the ingress switch is associated with a first bridge element;

determine destination switches in the distributed switch that should receive at least a portion of the multicast data frame, wherein the portion of the multicast data frame is at least a portion of a payload of the multicast data frame, and wherein at least one connection interface in the ingress switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the first bridge element to a second bridge element in the ingress switch; and

forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the ingress switch to a first surrogate switch in a hierarchy, wherein the first surrogate switch is assigned in the hierarchy to forward the portion of the multicast data frame to both of;

a computing device coupled to the first surrogate switch that is at least one final destination of the multicast data frame and a second surrogate switch in the hierarchy, wherein the first surrogate switch is one of the plurality of switches in the distributed switch, wherein each of the plurality of switches include at least two bridge elements that are each associated with at least one connection interface on the switches, and

wherein a connection interface of the first surrogate switch is associated with a third bridge element, wherein the connection interface of the first surrogate switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the third bridge element to a fourth bridge element in the first surrogate switch.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the first surrogate switch is assigned in the hierarchy to a subset of the plurality of switches and wherein the second surrogate switch is assigned to a subset of the subset of switches assigned to the first surrogate switch.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the first and second surrogate switches increase an available bandwidth used for forwarding the portion of the multicast data frame within the distributed switch by forwarding the portion of the multicast data frame to at least two switches in the distributed switch in parallel using at least two respective connection interfaces.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computing device is included within a multicast group associated with the multicast data frame.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising computer-readable program code configured to select one of the bridge elements of the first surrogate switch as a surrogate bridge element that receives the forwarded portion of the multicast data frame from the ingress switch, wherein the surrogate bridge element is selected based on a measured performance metric.

6. A distributed switch comprising a plurality of switches, comprising:

an ingress switch of the plurality of switches configured to receive a multicast data frame on a receiving port and determine destination switches of the plurality of switches that should receive at least a portion of the multicast data frame, wherein the receiving port of the ingress switch is associated with a first bridge element, wherein the portion of the multicast data frame is at least a portion of a payload of the multicast data frame, and wherein at least one connection interface in the ingress switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the first bridge element to a second bridge element in the ingress switch; and

a first surrogate switch in a hierarchy of switches selected from the plurality of switches, wherein the first surrogate switch is configured to receive the portion of the multicast data frame from the ingress switch, wherein the first surrogate switch is assigned in the hierarchy to forward the portion of the multicast data frame to both of;

a computing device coupled to the first surrogate switch that is at least one final destination of the multicast data frame and a second surrogate switch in the hierarchy, wherein each of the plurality of switches include at least two bridge elements that are each associated with at least one connection interface on the switches, and

wherein a connection interface of the first surrogate switch is associated with a third bridge element, wherein the connection interface of the first surrogate switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the third bridge element to a fourth bridge element in the first surrogate switch.

7. The distributed switch of claim 6, wherein the first surrogate switch is assigned in the hierarchy to a subset of the plurality of switches and wherein the second surrogate switch is assigned to a subset of the subset of switches assigned to the first surrogate switch.

8. The distributed switch of claim 7, wherein the first and second surrogate switches increase an available bandwidth used for forwarding the portion of the multicast data frame within the distributed switch by forwarding the portion of the multicast data frame to at least two switches in the distributed switch in parallel using at least two respective connection interfaces.

9. The distributed switch of claim 7, wherein the computing device is included within a multicast group associated with the multicast data frame.

10. The distributed switch of claim 6, further comprising a controller that selects one of the bridge elements of the first surrogate switch as a surrogate bridge element that receives the portion of the multicast data frame from the ingress switch, wherein the surrogate bridge element is selected based on a performance metric.

11. A distributed switch comprising a plurality of switches that each have a direct connection to each other, comprising:

an ingress switch of the plurality of switches configured to receive a multicast data frame on a receiving port and determine destination switches of the plurality of switches that should receive at least a portion of the multicast data frame, wherein the receiving port of the ingress switch is associated with a first bridge element, wherein the portion of the multicast data frame is at least a portion of a payload of the multicast data frame, and wherein at least one connection interface in the ingress switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the first bridge element to a second bridge element in the ingress switch; and

a first surrogate switch in a hierarchy of switches, wherein the ingress switch is configured to transmit the portion of the multicast data frame to the first surrogate switch instead of transmitting the portion of the multicast data frame directly to all of the destination switches, wherein the first surrogate switch is assigned in the hierarchy to forward the portion of the multicast data frame to at least one of;

one of the destination switches and a second surrogate switch in the hierarchy, wherein each of the plurality of switches include at least two bridge elements that are each associated with at least one connection interface on the switches, and

wherein a connection interface of the first surrogate switch is associated with a third bridge element, wherein the connection interface of the first surrogate switch is configured to forward the portion of the multicast data frame from the third bridge element to a fourth bridge element in the first surrogate switch.