Distributed configuration management for virtual cluster switching

• US 9,716,672 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haris, Shiv, Vobbilisetty, Suresh, Koganti, Phanidhar, Guntaka, Vidyasagara R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAVLESKI, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US13/092,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20110292947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: 370397, 370409
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/252 Store and forward routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a port to couple to a second switch. The switch also includes a control mechanism configured to maintain a set of configuration information for a virtual cluster switch which includes a number of member switches. The set of configuration information includes global configuration information for the virtual cluster switch and switch-specific configuration information for one or more member switches. In addition, the set of configuration information is replicated and stored at each member switch.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

one or more ports;

control circuitry configured to;

maintain membership in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

store in a storage device a set of configuration information for the network of interconnected switches; and

obtain a switch index for the switch, wherein the switch index indicates a slot reserved for the switch in the set of configuration information, wherein the slot is persistent for the switch in a respective member of the network of interconnected switches;

wherein the set of configuration information includes global configuration information associated with the network of interconnected switches and switch-specific configuration information associated with a respective member switch of the network of interconnected switches, wherein the global configuration information comprises the fabric identifier and a list comprising a respective virtual local area network (VLAN) associated with the network of interconnected switches, and wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the switch is stored in the slot.

2. The switch of claim 1,

wherein the control circuitry is further configured to construct a notification message for other member switches in the network of interconnected switches, wherein a payload of the notification message comprises a media access control (MAC) address learned via one of the one or more ports.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein a respective switch of the network of interconnected switches is associated with the fabric identifier;

and

wherein the global configuration information further includes one or more of;

a switch identifier corresponding to a member switch; and

a switch identifier corresponding to a principal switch.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the switch includes one or more of:

configuration information associated with the one or more ports of the switch;

an indication of where the switch is part of the network of interconnected switches;

an indication of whether the switch is a principal switch in the network of interconnected switches;

a switch identifier for the switch;

the switch index, wherein the switch index is unique for the switch; and

an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the switch.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the switch is assigned an IP address, wherein the IP address is derived from a switch identifier assigned to the switch.

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein a port of the one or more ports is assigned a media access control (MAC) address, wherein the MAC address is derived based on an organizationally unique identifier of the port and a switch identifier assigned to the switch.

7. A method, comprising:

maintaining, for a switch, membership in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

storing in a storage device of the switch a set of configuration information for the network of interconnected switches; and

obtaining a switch index for the switch, wherein the switch index indicates a slot reserved for the switch in the set of configuration information, wherein the slot is persistent for the switch in a respective member of the network of interconnected switches;

wherein the set of configuration information includes global configuration information associated with the network of interconnected switches and switch-specific configuration information associated with a respective member switch of the network of interconnected switches, wherein the global configuration information comprises the fabric identifier and a list comprising a respective virtual local area network (VLAN) associated with the network of interconnected switches, and wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the switch is stored in the slot.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising constructing a notification message for member switches in the network of interconnected switches other than the switch, wherein a payload of the notification message comprises a media access control (MAC) address learned via a port of the switch.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying an update to the set of configuration information;

confirming whether the update is valid with respect to a second set of configuration information; and

based on the confirmation, constructing, for member switches of the network of interconnected switches other than the switch, a message comprising the update.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a respective switch of the network of interconnected switches is associated with the fabric identifier;

and

wherein the global configuration information further includes one or more of;

a switch identifier corresponding to a member switch; and

a switch identifier corresponding to a principal switch.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the switch includes one or more of:

configuration information associated with the one or more ports of the switch;

an indication of where the switch is part of the network of interconnected switches;

an indication of whether the switch is a principal switch in the network of interconnected switches;

a switch identifier for the switch;

the switch index, wherein the switch index is unique and persistent for the switch; and

an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the switch.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning an IP address to the switch, wherein the IP address is derived from a switch identifier assigned to the switch.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning a media access control (MAC) address to a port of the switch, wherein the MAC address is derived based on an organizationally unique identifier of the port and a switch identifier assigned to the switch.

14. A fabric switch, comprising:

a plurality of member switches; and

control circuitry residing on a respective member switch;

wherein the control circuitry residing on a first member switch configured to;

maintain membership in the fabric switch, wherein the fabric switch is identified by a fabric identifier; and

store a set of configuration information of the fabric switch; and

obtain a first switch index for the first switch, wherein the first switch index indicates a first slot reserved for the first switch in the set of configuration information, wherein the first slot is persistent for the first switch in a respective member of the fabric switch;

wherein the set of configuration information is replicated and stored in a storage device of a respective member switch of the fabric switch; and

wherein the set of configuration information includes global configuration information associated with the fabric switch and switch-specific configuration information associated with a respective member switch of the fabric switch, wherein the global configuration information comprises the fabric identifier and a list comprising a respective virtual local area network (VLAN) associated with the fabric switch, and wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the first switch is stored in the first slot.

15. The fabric switch of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry of the first switch is further configured to:

identify an update to a local copy of the set of configuration information;

confirm whether the update is valid with respect to a second set of configuration information from a second switch of the fabric switch; and

based on the confirmation, construct a message comprising the update for other switches of the fabric switch.

16. The fabric switch of claim 14,

wherein the control circuitry of the first switch is further configured to, in response to the first switch being a member switch of the fabric switch, update the list of VLANs in a local copy of the set of configuration information based on a second list of VLANs in a second set of configuration information from a second switch of the fabric switch.

17. The fabric switch of claim 14, wherein a respective switch of the fabric switch is associated with the fabric identifier;

and

wherein the global configuration information further includes one or more of;

a switch identifier corresponding to a member switch; and

a switch identifier corresponding to a principal switch.

18. The fabric switch of claim 14, wherein the switch-specific configuration information for the first switch includes one or more of:

configuration information associated with one or more ports of the first switch;

an indication of where the first switch is part of the fabric switch;

an indication of whether the first switch is a principal switch in the fabric switch;

a switch identifier for the first switch;

the switch index, wherein the switch index in unique and persistent for the first switch; and

an IP address assigned to the first switch.

19. A switch means, comprising:

a control means for;

maintaining membership in a network of interconnected switches, wherein the network of interconnected switches is identified by a fabric identifier; and

storing in a storage device means a set of configuration information for a network of interconnected switch means; and

obtaining a switch index for the switch means, wherein the switch index indicates a slot reserved for the switch means in the set of configuration information, wherein the slot is persistent for the switch means in a respective member of the network of interconnected switch means;

wherein the set of configuration information includes global configuration information associated with the network of interconnected switch means and switch-means-specific configuration information associated with a respective member switch means of the network of interconnected switch means, wherein the global configuration information comprises the fabric identifier and a list comprising a respective virtual local area network (VLAN) associated with the network of interconnected switch means, and wherein the switch-means-specific configuration information for the switch means is stored in the slot.

20. A switch system means, comprising:

a plurality of switch means; and

a control means residing on a respective switch means;

wherein the control means residing on a first switch means for;

maintaining membership in the switch system means, wherein the switch system means is identified by a fabric identifier; and

storing a copy of configuration information of the switch system means; and

obtaining a first switch index for the first switch means, wherein the first switch index indicates a first slot reserved for the first switch means in the set of configuration information, wherein the first slot is persistent for the first switch means in a respective member of the switch system means;

wherein the set of configuration information includes global configuration information associated with the switch system means and switch-means-specific configuration information associated with a respective switch means of switch system means, wherein the global configuration information comprises the fabric identifier and a list comprising a respective virtual local area network (VLAN) associated with the switch system means, and wherein the switch-means-specific configuration information for the first member switch means is stored in the first slot.