Virtual link aggregations across multiple fabric switches

• US 9,401,872 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vobbilisetty, Suresh, Koganti, Phanidhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Crompton, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US14/064,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 370/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/583 Stackable routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/10 characterised by the switching fabric construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/111 Switch interfaces, e.g. port details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/112 Switch control, e.g. arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch is configurable to be a member of a first fabric switch. The switch includes a link aggregation module. During operation, the link aggregation module marks an ingress-switch field of a frame with a virtual switch identifier. This virtual switch identifier is associated with the switch and a second switch, which is a member of a second fabric switch, and is from a range of identifier associated with the first fabric switch and the second fabric switch. Each of the first fabric switch and the second fabric switch is operable to accommodate a plurality of switches and operate as a single switch.

Claims

1. A switch configured to be a member of a first network of interconnected switches, the switch comprising:

a link aggregation module configured to assign a virtual switch identifier to an ingress-switch field of a first frame, wherein the virtual switch identifier is associated with the switch and a second switch, and wherein the second switch is a member of a second network of interconnected switches;

wherein the virtual switch identifier is selected from a range of identifiers allocated for both the first and second networks of interconnected switches;

and

wherein each of the first and second networks of interconnected switches is configured to be controlled as a single logical switch.

2. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a packet processing module configured to:

identify the virtual switch identifier as egress switch identifier of a second frame; and

determine the switch as an egress switch for the second frame in response to identifying the virtual switch identifier as the egress switch identifier of the second frame.

3. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a suppression module configured to:

identify the virtual switch identifier as an egress switch identifier of a second frame, wherein the second frame is a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame; and

preclude the switch from determining a local port as output port for the second frame in response to identifying the virtual switch identifier as the egress switch identifier of the second frame.

4. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a multicast module configured to:

identify a second frame to be a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame associated with a local end device; and

assign a virtual root switch identifier as an egress-switch field of the second frame, wherein the virtual root switch identifier is associated with a multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches and a multicast root switch of the second network of interconnected switches.

5. The switch of claim 4, further comprising a failure detection module configured to:

identify a new multicast root switch in response to detecting unavailability of the multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches; and

associate the virtual root switch identifier with the new multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch configured in accordance with one of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol; and

an Internet Protocol (IP).

7. The switch of claim 1, further comprising:

a first edge port, wherein the first edge port is configured as an output port for frames destined outside of the first network of interconnected switches;

a primary module configured to;

preclude the switch from removing an encapsulation header of an encapsulated frame in response to determining the encapsulated frame to be a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame; and

determine the first edge port as the output port for the encapsulated frame.

8. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a failure detection module configured to:

disassociate the switch from the virtual switch identifier upon detecting unavailability of the second switch; and

assign a switch identifier of the local switch as an egress-switch field of a second frame, wherein the second frame is received after detecting the unavailability of the second switch.

9. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to:

run a control plane associated with the first network of interconnected switches; and

control the network of interconnected switches via the control plane.

10. A method, comprising:

assign a virtual switch identifier to an ingress-switch field of a first frame, wherein the virtual switch identifier is associated with a first switch of a first network of interconnected switches and a second switch of a second network of interconnected switches;

wherein the virtual switch identifier is selected from a range of identifiers allocated for both the first and second networks of interconnected switches;

and

wherein each of the first and second networks of interconnected switches is configured to be controlled as a single logical switch.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the virtual switch identifier as an egress switch identifier of a second frame; and

determining the first switch as egress switch for the frame in response to identifying the virtual switch identifier as the egress switch identifier of the second frame.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the virtual switch identifier as an egress switch identifier of a second frame, wherein the second frame is a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame; and

precluding the first switch from determining a local port as output port for the frame in response to identifying the virtual switch identifier as the egress switch identifier of the frame.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying a second frame to be a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame associated with a local end device; and

assigning a virtual root switch identifier as an egress-switch field of the second frame with a virtual root switch identifier, wherein the virtual root switch identifier is associated with a multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches and a multicast root switch of the second network of interconnected switches.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying a new multicast root switch in response to detecting unavailability of the multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches; and

associating the virtual root switch identifier with the new multicast root switch of the first network of interconnected switches.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the first switch is configured in accordance with one of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol; and

an Internet Protocol (IP).

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

precluding the first switch from removing an encapsulation header of an encapsulated frame in response to determining the encapsulated frame to be a broadcast, unknown unicast, or multicast frame; and

determining a first edge port as the output port for the encapsulated frame, wherein the first edge port is configured as an output port for frames destined outside of the first network of interconnected switches.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

disassociating the first switch from the virtual switch identifier upon detecting unavailability of the second switch; and

assigning a switch identifier of the first switch as an egress-switch field of a second frame, wherein the second frame is received after detecting the unavailability of the second switch.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

running a control plane associated with the first network of interconnected switches; and

controlling the network of interconnected switches via the control plane.