Extended ethernet fabric switches

• US 9,912,612 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sabaa, Amr, Durrani, Muhammad, Shaikh, Mukhtiar, Jogalekar, Prasad P., Jayaraman, Jayanthi, Adaikalam, Arunkaruppaiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELETE, BERHANU D
• Application Number:
  US14/488,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20150117256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/68 Pseudowire emulation, e.g. IETF WG PWE3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a fabric switch module and a learning module. The fabric switch module maintains a membership in a first fabric switch. A fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single switch. The first fabric switch is in an extended fabric switch which further comprises a second fabric switch. The learning module identifies from a notification message from the second fabric switch a media access control (MAC) address learned at the second fabric switch. The learning module stores the MAC address in a local MAC table in association with an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second fabric switch.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a processor;

fabric switch circuitry configured to maintain a membership in a first network of interconnected switches, wherein the first network of interconnected switches is identified by a first fabric identifier; and

discovery circuitry configured to, in response to identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) address as a source address in a multicast discovery message, include the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list indicates that the IP address is associated with a second network of interconnected switches;

learning circuitry configured to;

identify, from a payload of a notification message from the second network of interconnected switches, a media access control (MAC) address learned at a second switch in the second network of interconnected switches, wherein a header of the notification message includes, the IP address as a source address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address indicating the second network of interconnected switches; and

store a mapping relationship between the identified MAC address and the IP address in a local data structure; and

forwarding circuitry configured to encapsulate a packet comprising the MAC address with a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the tunnel encapsulation header includes the IP address as a destination IP address.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the IP address is a virtual IP address assigned to a plurality of member switches of the second network of interconnected switches.

3. The switch of claim 1, further comprising discovery circuitry configured to:

identify a discovery message with the IP address as a source IP address, wherein the discovery message is a multicast message; and

in response to identifying the discovery message, include the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list includes a respective IP address associated with indicating the first and or the second networks network of interconnected switches.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to:

identify the MAC address as a destination MAC address of the packet.

5. The switch of claim 4, wherein a source MAC address of the packet is associated with a first virtual machine running on a host machine reachable via the first network of interconnected switches;

wherein the destination MAC address of the packet is associated with a second virtual machine running on a host machine reachable via the second network of interconnected switches; and

wherein the first and second virtual machines are in a same virtual local area network (VLAN).

6. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to encapsulate an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

7. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to encapsulate a second packet destined to a virtual machine with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a first host machine reachable via the first network of interconnected switches to a second host machine reachable via the second network of interconnected switches.

8. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to:

identify a second packet with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is assigned to a hypervisor; and

encapsulate the second packet in a third tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the third tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

9. The switch of claim 1, further comprising high availability circuitry configured to operate the switch as an active forwarder of an active-standby high availability protocol for a virtual machine;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a first host machine reachable via the second network of interconnected switches to a second host machine reachable via the first network of interconnected switches.

10. The switch of claim 1, wherein the forwarding circuitry is further configured to:

identify a second packet with a fabric header, wherein an egress switch identifier of the fabric header is assigned to a member switch of the second network of interconnected switches; and

encapsulate the second packet with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

11. The switch of claim 10, wherein the fabric header is based on one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol, wherein ingress and egress switch identifiers of the encapsulation header are TRILL routing bridge (RBridge) identifiers; and

an Internet Protocol (IP), wherein source and destination addresses of the encapsulation header are IP addresses.

12. A method, comprising:

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

in response to identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) address as a source address in a multicast discovery message, including the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list indicates that the IP address is associated with a second network of interconnected switches;

identifying, from a payload of a notification message from the second network of interconnected switches, a media access control (MAC) address learned at a second switch in the second network of interconnected switches, wherein a header of the notification message includes, the IP address as a source address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address indicating the second network of interconnected switches;

storing a mapping relationship between the identified MAC address and the IP address in a local data structure; and

encapsulating a packet comprising the MAC address with a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the tunnel encapsulation header includes the IP address as a destination IP address.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the IP address is a virtual IP address assigned to a plurality of member switches of the second network of interconnected switches.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a discovery message with the IP address as a source IP address, wherein the discovery message is a multicast message; and

in response to identifying the discovery message, including the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list includes a respective IP address associated with indicating the first and or the second networks network of interconnected switches.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying the MAC address as a destination MAC address of the packet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a source MAC address of the packet is associated with a first virtual machine running on a host machine reachable via the first network of interconnected switches;

wherein the destination MAC address of the packet is associated with a second virtual machine running on a host machine reachable via the second network of interconnected switches; and

wherein the first and second virtual machines are in a same virtual local area network (VLAN).

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising encapsulating an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising encapsulating a second packet destined to a virtual machine with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a first host machine coupled to the first network of interconnected switches to a second host machine coupled to the second network of interconnected switches.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a second packet with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is assigned to a hypervisor; and

encapsulating the second packet with a third tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the third tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising operating the switch as an active forwarder of an active-standby high availability protocol for a virtual machine;

wherein the virtual machine has been migrated from a first host machine coupled to the second network of interconnected switches to a second host machine coupled to the first network of interconnected switches.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying a second packet with a fabric header, wherein an egress switch identifier of the fabric header is assigned to a member switch of the second network of interconnected switches; and

encapsulating the second packet with a second tunnel encapsulation header, wherein a destination address of the second tunnel encapsulation header is the IP address.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the fabric header is based on one or more of:

a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) protocol, wherein ingress and egress switch identifiers of the encapsulation header are TRILL routing bridge (RBridge) identifiers; and

an Internet Protocol (IP), wherein source and destination addresses of the encapsulation header are IP addresses.

23. A computer system, 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;

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

in response to identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) address as a source address in a multicast discovery message, including the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list indicates that the IP address is associated with a second network of interconnected switches;

identifying, from a payload of a notification message from the second network of interconnected switches, a media access control (MAC) address learned at a second switch in the second network of interconnected switches, wherein a header of the notification message includes the IP address, as a source address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address indicating the second network of interconnected switches;

storing a mapping relationship between the identified MAC address and the IP address in a local data structure; and

encapsulating a packet comprising the MAC address with a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the tunnel encapsulation header includes the IP address as a destination IP address.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

maintaining a membership of a switch in a first network of interconnected switches;

in response to identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) address as a source address in a multicast discovery message, including the IP address in a neighbor list, wherein the neighbor list indicates that the IP address is associated with a second network of interconnected switches;

identifying, from a notification message from the second network of interconnected switches, a media access control (MAC) address learned at a second switch in the second network of interconnected switches, wherein a header of the notification message includes the IP address as a source address;

storing a mapping relationship between the identified MAC address and the IP address in a local data structure; and

encapsulating a packet comprising the MAC address with a tunnel encapsulation header, wherein the tunnel encapsulation header includes the IP address as a destination IP address.