Stack link fault response system

• US 10,686,650 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Dadey, Dennis R., Jayakumar, Avinash
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulysse, Jael M
• Application Number:
  US15/710,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20190089578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/205 Quality of Service based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/555 Error detection

Abstract

A stack link fault response system includes a connected device, a first networking device, and a second networking device that is coupled to the connected device by first connected device link(s), and to the first networking device by stack links. The second networking device uses the stack links to transmit connected device communications received through the first connected device link(s) from the connected device. When the second networking device determines that a subset of the stack links are unavailable to transmit communications while at least one of the stack links is available to transmit communications, it performs a stack link fault response action that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending at least a portion of the connected device communications through the first connected device link(s) to the second networking device.

Claims

1. A stack link fault response system, comprising:

a connected device;

a first networking device; and

a second networking device that is coupled to the connected device by at least one first connected device link, and that is coupled to the first networking device by a plurality of stack links, wherein the second networking device is configured to;

transmit, using at least one of the plurality of stack links, stack communications that are based on connected device communications received through the at least one first connected device link from the connected device;

determine that a subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications; and

perform, in response to determining that the subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications, at least one stack link fault response action that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending a portion of the connected device communications through the at least one first connected device link to the second networking device in order to reduce the stack communications transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

shutting down each first connected device port on the second networking device that provides the at least one first connected device link to the connected device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

determining that each first connected device port on the second networking device that provides the at least one first connected device link to the connected device is assigned a lower priority than at least one second connected device port on the second networking device and, in response, shutting down each first connected device port.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, through the at least one first connected device link to the connected device, a stack link fault message that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending at least a portion of the connected device communications through the at least one first connected device link to the second networking device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein stack link fault message is configured to cause the connected device to limit its advertisement of available services.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first networking device is coupled to the connected device by at least one second connected device link, and wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, to the first networking device using the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links and that is available to transmit the stack communications, a stack link fault message that is configured to cause the first networking device to shut down each second connected device port on the first networking device that provides the at least one second connected device link to the connected device.

7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

at least one first connected device port that is configured to couple to a connected device;

a plurality of stack ports that are configured to couple to at least one networking device;

a processing system that is coupled to the at least one first connected device port and the plurality of stack ports; and

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a stack link fault response engine that is configured to;

transmit, using at least one of a plurality of stack links provided by the plurality of stack ports, stack communications that are based on connected device communications received through the at least one first connected device port from the connected device;

determine that a subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications; and

perform, in response to determining that the subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications, at least one stack link fault response action that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending a portion of the connected device communications to the at least one first connected device port in order to reduce the stack communications transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links.

8. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

shutting down each at least one first connected device port that that is coupled to the connected device.

9. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one second connected device port that is coupled to the processing system, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes;

determining that each at least one first connected device port that is coupled to the connected device is assigned a lower priority than the at least one second connected device port and, in response, shutting down each at least one first connected device port.

10. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, through the at least one first connected device port to the connected device, a stack link fault message that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending at least a portion of the connected device communications to the at least one first connected device port.

11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein stack link fault message is configured to cause the connected device to limit its advertisement of available services.

12. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, to the at least one networking device using the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links that is available to transmit the stack communications, a stack link fault message that is configured to cause the at least one networking device to shut down each second connected device port that provides at least one second connected device link to the connected device.

13. The IHS of claim 7, wherein the plurality of stack ports are configured to couple to the at least one networking device to provide at least part of a stacked networking device system that is configured to transmit a first type of data, and wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, to each networking device in the stacked networking device system using the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links and that is available to transmit the stack communications, a stack link fault message that is configured to cause each of the networking devices in the stacked networking device system to shut down its ports that receive the first type of data.

14. A method for responding to stack link faults, comprising:

transmitting, by a first networking device using at least one of a plurality of stack links to a second networking device, stack communications that are based on connected device communications received through at least one first connected device link from a connected device;

determining, by the first networking device, that a subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications; and

performing, by the first networking device in response to determining that the subset of the plurality of stack links are unavailable to transmit the stack communications while the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links is available to transmit the stack communications, at least one stack link fault response action that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending a portion of the connected device communications through the at least one first connected device link to the first networking device in order to reduce the stack communications transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

shutting down each first connected device port on the first networking device that provides the at least one first connected device link to the connected device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

determining that each first connected device port on the first networking device that provides the at least one first connected device link to the connected device is assigned a lower priority than at least one second connected device port on the first networking device and, in response, shutting down each first connected device port.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, through the at least one first connected device link to the connected device, a stack link fault message that is configured to prevent the connected device from sending at least a portion of the connected device communications through the at least one first connected device link to the first networking device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein stack link fault message is configured to cause the connected device to limit its advertisement of available services.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second networking device is coupled to the connected device by at least one second connected device link, and wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, to the second networking device using the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links that is available to transmit the stack communications, a stack link fault message that is configured to cause the second networking device to shut down each second connected device port on the second networking device that provides the at least one second connected device link to the connected device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of stack links are coupled to the second networking device to provide at least part of a stacked networking device system that is configured to transmit a first type of data, and wherein the at least one stack link fault response action includes:

sending, to each networking device in the stacked networking device system using the at least one of the plurality of stack links that is not included in the subset of the plurality of stack links and that is available to transmit the stack communications, a stack link fault message that is configured to cause each of the networking devices in the stacked networking device system to shut down its ports that receive the first type of data.