Determination of a suitable target for an initiator by a control plane processor

• US 9,577,953 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Krithivas, Ramamurthy, Reniecki, Jacek, Daly, Daniel P., Rangarajan, Madhusudhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Greene, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/128,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

A first computational device receives a response generated by a second computational device for a third computational device. A target that is suitable for use by the third computational device is determined. The response is transmitted with an address of the target to the third computational device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

programming, by a first computational device, one or more switches of a switch configuration to forward any Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) packet to the first computational device;

transmitting, to a second computational device by a third computational device, via the switch configuration, a DHCP request for securing network parameters as part of a boot sequence of the third computational device;

generating, by the second computational device, a DHCP response;

trapping, by the one or more switches, the DHCP response generated by the second computational device, and forwarding the DHCP response to the first computational device instead of forwarding the DHCP response to the third computational device;

receiving, by the first computational device, the DHCP response;

determining, by the first computational device, a target that is suitable for use by the third computational device, and modifying the DHCP response;

transmitting, by the first computational device, the modified DHCP response with an address of the target to the third computational device; and

performing, booting of the third computational device by using the address of the target in the modified DHCP response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein suitability of the target for use by the third computational device is based on at least a distance of the target from the third computational device, an available bandwidth, and a processing load on the target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target that is determined has a relatively light processing load and is relatively more proximate to the third computational device in comparison to other potential targets of a plurality of targets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first computational device is a control plane processor;

the second computational device is a DHCP server;

the third computational device is an initiator; and

the target is a storage node that provides boot support for the initiator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein to generate the modified DHCP response the address of the target is added to the DHCP response by modifying a DHCP Option 17 command that includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) target name to uniquely identify an iSCSI target.

6. A system, comprising a first computational device that is communicatively coupled to a second computational device and a third computational device, wherein the system comprises:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is operable to;

program, by the first computational device, one or more switches of a switch configuration to forward any Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) packet to the first computational device;

transmit, to the second computational device by the third computational device, via the switch configuration, a DHCP request for securing network parameters as part of a boot sequence of the third computational device;

generate, by the second computational device, a DHCP response;

trap, by the one or more switches, the DHCP response generated by the second computational device, and forward the DHCP response to the first computational device instead of forwarding the DHCP response to the third computational device;

receive, by the first computational device, the DHCP response;

determine, by the first computational device, a target that is suitable for use by the third computational device, and modify the DHCP response;

transmit, by the first computational device, the modified DHCP response with an address of the target to the third computational device; and

perform, booting of the third computational device by using the address of the target in the modified DHCP response.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein suitability of the target for use by the third computational device is based on at least a distance of the target from the third computational device, an available bandwidth, and a processing load on the target.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the target that is determined has a relatively light processing load and is relatively more proximate to the third computational device in comparison to other potential targets of a plurality of targets.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the first computational device is a control plane processor;

the second computational device is a DHCP server;

the third computational device is an initiator; and

the target is a storage node that provides boot support for the initiator.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein to generate the modified DHCP response the processor is further operable to add the address of the target to the DHCP response by modifying a DHCP Option 17 command that includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) target name to uniquely identify an iSCSI target.

11. A system, comprising:

a first computational device;

a second computational device; and

a third computational device, wherein the first, the second, and the third computational devices are communicatively coupled, and wherein the first computational device is operable to;

program one or more switches of a switch configuration to forward any Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) packet to the first computational device;

receive a DHCP response from the one or more switches, wherein the third computational device transmits to the second computational device, via the switch configuration, a DHCP request for securing network parameters as part of a boot sequence of the third computational device, wherein the second computational device generates the DHCP response, and wherein the one or more switches trap the DHCP response generated by the second computational device, and forward the DHCP response to the first computational device instead of forwarding the DHCP response to the third computational device;

determine a target that is suitable for use by the third computational device, and modify the DHCP response; and

transmit the modified DHCP response with an address of the target to the third computational device, wherein booting of the third computational device is performed by using the address of the target in the modified DHCP response.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein suitability of the target for use by the third computational device is based on at least a distance of the target from the third computational device, an available bandwidth, and a processing load on the target.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the target that is determined has a relatively light processing load and is relatively more proximate to the third computational device in comparison to other potential targets of a plurality of targets.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first computational device is a control plane processor;

the second computational device is a DHCP server;

the third computational device is an initiator; and

the target is a storage node that provides boot support for the initiator.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein to generate the modified DHCP response the address of the target is added to the DHCP response by modifying a DHCP Option 17 command that includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) target name to uniquely identify an iSCSI target.

12. A system, comprising:

a first computational device, a second computational device, and a third computational device;

means for programming, by a first computational device, one or more switches of a switch configuration to forward any Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) packet to the first computational device;

means for transmitting, to a second computational device by a third computational device, via the switch configuration, a DHCP request for securing network parameters as part of a boot sequence of the third computational device;

means for generating, by the second computational device a DHCP response;

means for trapping, by the one or more switches, the DHCP response generated by the second computational device, and forwarding the DHCP response to the first computational device instead of forwarding the DHCP response to the third computational device;

means for receiving, by the first computational device, the DHCP response;

means for determining, by the first computational device, a target that is suitable for use by the third computational device, and modifying the DHCP response;

means for transmitting, by the first computational device, the modified DHCP response with an address of the target to the third computational device; and

means for performing, booting of the third computational device by using the address of the target in the modified DHCP response.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein suitability of the target for use by the third computational device is based on at least a distance of the target from the third computational device, an available bandwidth, and a processing load on the target.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the target that is determined has a relatively light processing load and is relatively more proximate to the third computational device in comparison to other potential targets of a plurality of targets.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the first computational device is a control plane processor;

the second computational device is a DHCP server;

the third computational device is an initiator; and

the target is a storage node that provides boot support for the initiator.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein to generate the modified DHCP response the address of the target is added to the DHCP response by modifying a DHCP Option 17 command that includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) target name to uniquely identify an iSCSI target.