Heterogeneous media packet bridging
First Claim
1. A blade server comprising:
- a plurality of network modules, including;
a first set of network modules within a first server blade that receives, via a first set of line interface ports, network packets having a first framing media format of a plurality of framing media formats; and
a second set of network modules within a second server blade that transmits, via a second set of line interface ports, network packets having a second framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats;
a plurality of processing resources within one or more server blades coupled to the plurality of network modules and shared by the plurality of network modules, including a first processing resource upon which a virtual bridging application executes, wherein the virtual bridging application represents a single bridging domain for bridging all media transmissions traversing the blade server;
a non-transitory memory, accessible to the first processing resource, having stored therein one or more translation data structures defining translations between the first framing media format and an intermediate format and between the intermediate format and the second framing media format;
the first set of network modules pass a received network packet to the virtual bridging application;
the virtual bridging application determines whether a relay location to which the received network packet is to be relayed is among the second set of network modules, which are associated with a disparate framing media format and a disparate media channel than that of the first set of network modules; and
responsive to an affirmative determination, the virtual bridging application translates the received network packet to the second framing media format based on the one or more translation data structures before relaying the received network packet to the relay location.
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Abstract
Methods and systems for bridging network packets transmitted over heterogeneous media channels are provided. According to one embodiment, a network device maintains translation data structures defining translations among multiple framing media formats used for transmitting or receiving network packets via multiple supported media transmission channels, including (i) between a first framing media format and an intermediate format and (ii) between the intermediate format and a second framing media format. A virtual bridging application representing a single bridging domain for bridging all network traffic traversing the network device translates ingress network packets from the first framing media format to egress network packets of the second framing media format based the translation data structures.
275 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A blade server comprising:
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a plurality of network modules, including; a first set of network modules within a first server blade that receives, via a first set of line interface ports, network packets having a first framing media format of a plurality of framing media formats; and a second set of network modules within a second server blade that transmits, via a second set of line interface ports, network packets having a second framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats; a plurality of processing resources within one or more server blades coupled to the plurality of network modules and shared by the plurality of network modules, including a first processing resource upon which a virtual bridging application executes, wherein the virtual bridging application represents a single bridging domain for bridging all media transmissions traversing the blade server; a non-transitory memory, accessible to the first processing resource, having stored therein one or more translation data structures defining translations between the first framing media format and an intermediate format and between the intermediate format and the second framing media format; the first set of network modules pass a received network packet to the virtual bridging application; the virtual bridging application determines whether a relay location to which the received network packet is to be relayed is among the second set of network modules, which are associated with a disparate framing media format and a disparate media channel than that of the first set of network modules; and responsive to an affirmative determination, the virtual bridging application translates the received network packet to the second framing media format based on the one or more translation data structures before relaying the received network packet to the relay location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method comprising:
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maintaining, within a memory of a network device, one or more translation data structures defining translations (i) between a first framing media format of a plurality of framing media formats and an intermediate format and (ii) between the intermediate format and a second framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats, wherein the plurality of framing media formats are used for transmitting or receiving network packets via a plurality of media transmission channels supported by the network device; receiving, via a first media transmission channel of the plurality of media transmission channels by a first network interface of a first network module of a plurality of network modules of a network device, a network packet formatted in accordance with a first framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats; directing, by the first network module, the network packet to a virtual bridging application running on a first processing resource of a plurality of processing resources of the network device, wherein the virtual bridging application represents a single bridging domain for bridging all network traffic traversing the network device having an inbound framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats that differs from an outbound framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats; determining, by the virtual bridging application, whether a relay location to which the network packet is to be relayed is a second network module of the plurality of network modules that is associated with the second framing media format; responsive to an affirmative determination, translating, by the virtual bridging application, the network packet to the second framing media format based on the one or more translation data structures before relaying the translated network packet to the relay location; and transmitting, via a second media transmission channel of the plurality of media transmission channels that is associated with a second network interface of the second network module, the translated network packet to a destination specified by the translated network packet. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification