Method and system for extending routing domain to non-routing end stations

• US 8,995,444 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jha, Pankaj K., Halabi, Mitri
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERSAUD, AMARNAUTH G
• Application Number:
  US13/758,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• 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 system is provided for facilitating assignment of a virtual routing node identifier to a non-routing node. During operation, the system assigns to a non-routing node coupled to a switch a virtual routing node identifier unique to the non-routing node. In addition, the system communicates reachability information corresponding to the virtual routing node identifier to other switches in the network.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

generating a virtual routing node identifier for a non-routing node, wherein the virtual routing node identifier indicates a multi-switch link aggregation;

constructing a frame comprising reachability information corresponding to the virtual routing node identifier;

marking an ingress-node field of a frame received from the non-routing node with the virtual routing node identifier; and

precluding a received multi-destination frame from being forwarded to the non-routing node when an ingress-node field of the multi-destination frame matches the virtual routing node identifier, thereby avoiding duplication of the multi-destination frame.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch is configured to route layer-2 data frames without requiring the network topology to be a spanning tree topology.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein the virtual routing node identifier is a routing bridge identifier in accordance with a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises communicating to a second switch which is part of the multi-switch link aggregation a MAC address learned from a port to which the non-routing node is coupled.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a link between the non-routing node and the switch, the method further comprises discontinuing communicating reachability information to another switch of the multi-switch link aggregation.

6. A non-transitory storage device storing instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method, comprising:

generating, at a switch, a virtual routing node identifier for a non-routing node, wherein the virtual routing node identifier indicates a multi-switch link aggregation;

constructing a frame comprising reachability information corresponding to the virtual routing node identifier;

marking an ingress-node field of a frame received from the non-routing node with the virtual routing node identifier; and

precluding a received multi-destination frame from being forwarded to the non-routing node when an ingress-node field of the multi-destination frame matches the virtual routing node identifier, thereby avoiding duplication of the multi-destination frame.

7. The non-transitory storage device of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises routing layer-2 data frames without requiring the network topology to be a spanning tree topology.

8. The non-transitory storage device of claim 6, wherein the virtual routing node identifier is a routing bridge identifier in accordance with a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol.

9. The non-transitory storage device of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises communicating to a second switch which is part of the multi-switch link aggregation a MAC address learned from a port to which the non-routing node is coupled.

10. The non-transitory storage device of claim 6, wherein in response to detecting a failure of a link between the non-routing node and the switch, the method further comprises discontinuing communicating reachability information to another switch of the multi-switch link aggregation.

11. A switch, comprising:

a virtual-node-management module configured to;

store a virtual routing node identifier for a non-routing node, wherein the virtual routing node identifier indicates a multi-switch link aggregation;

construct a frame comprising reachability information corresponding to the virtual routing node identifier; and

mark an ingress-node field of a frame received from the non-routing node with the virtual routing node identifier; and

a packet processor coupled to the virtual-node-management module and precluded from forwarding a received multi-destination frame to the non-routing node when an ingress-node field of the multi-destination frame matches the virtual routing node identifier, thereby avoiding duplication of the multi-destination frame.

12. The switch of claim 11, further comprising a routing mechanism coupled to the virtual-node-management module and configured to route layer-2 data frames without requiring the network topology to be a spanning tree topology.

13. The switch of claim 11, wherein the virtual routing node identifier is a routing bridge identifier in accordance with a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol.

14. The switch of claim 11, wherein the virtual-node-management module is further configured to communicate to a second switch which is part of the multi-switch link aggregation a MAC address learned from a port to which the non-routing node is coupled.

15. The switch of claim 11, wherein the virtual-node-management module is configured to discontinue communicating reachability information to another switch of the multi-switch link aggregation in response to detecting a failure of a link between the non-routing node and the switch.