TRANSPARENT INTECONNECTION OF ETHERNET FABRIC SWITCHES

• US 20150071122A1
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Addanki, Venkata R. K., Raman, Mythilikanth, Yu, Shunjia
• Granted Patent: US 9,806,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch. The switch includes a fabric switch module and a border module. The fabric switch module maintains a membership in a first fabric switch. The fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch. The border module determines that the egress switch identifier in a first encapsulation header of a first packet is associated with a switch outside of the fabric switch. The first packet is forwardable in the first fabric switch based on the first encapsulation header. In response to the determination, the border module changes the ingress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header of the first packet to a first virtual switch identifier associated with a first virtual switch. This first virtual switch externally represents the first fabric switch.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a fabric switch module adapted to maintain a membership in a first fabric switch, wherein the fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch;

a border module adapted to;

determine that an egress switch identifier in a first encapsulation header of a first packet is associated with a switch outside of the fabric switch, wherein the first packet is forwardable in the first fabric switch based on the first encapsulation header; and

in response to the determination, change an ingress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header of the first packet to a first virtual switch identifier associated with a first virtual switch, wherein the first virtual switch externally represents the first fabric switch, thereby facilitating interconnection of fabric switches.

2. The switch of claim 1, wherein the egress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header is a second virtual switch identifier associated with a second virtual switch, wherein the second virtual switch externally represents a second fabric switch.

3. The switch of claim 2, wherein routing information of the first fabric switch indicates that the second virtual switch is reachable via the switch.

4. The switch of claim 2, wherein the border module is further adapted to:

determine that an egress switch identifier in a second encapsulation header of a second packet is the first virtual switch identifier; and

in response to the determination, change the egress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet to a switch identifier which identifies a member switch in the first fabric switch.

5. The switch of claim 2, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet is the second virtual switch identifier.

6. The switch of claim 2, further comprising:

a forwarding module adapted to determine that an egress switch identifier in a third encapsulation header of a third packet is a switch identifier of the switch, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the third packet is the second virtual switch identifier; and

a learning module adapted to;

learn a media access control (MAC) address from an inner packet of the third packet; and

store the learned MAC address in association with the second virtual switch identifier in a storage device.

7. The switch of claim 1, further comprising a forwarding module adapted to determine an external switch as a next-hop switch for the first packet based on the first encapsulation header, wherein the external switch is not a member switch of the first fabric switch.

8. The switch of claim 1, wherein the first encapsulation header is one or more of:

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

a Internet Protocol (IP) header, wherein the ingress and egress switch identifiers of the first encapsulation header are IP addresses.

9. A method, comprising:

maintaining a membership of a switch in a first fabric switch, wherein the fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch;

determining that an egress switch identifier in a first encapsulation header of a first packet is associated with a switch outside of the fabric switch, wherein the first packet is forwardable in the first fabric switch based on the first encapsulation header; and

in response to the determination, changing an ingress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header of the first packet to a first virtual switch identifier associated with a first virtual switch, wherein the first virtual switch externally represents the first fabric switch, thereby facilitating interconnection of fabric switches.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the egress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header is a second virtual switch identifier associated with a second virtual switch, wherein the second virtual switch externally represents a second fabric switch.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein routing information of the first fabric switch indicates that the second virtual switch is reachable via the switch.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that an egress switch identifier in a second encapsulation header of a second packet is the first virtual switch identifier; and

in response to the determination, changing the egress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet to a switch identifier which identifies a member switch in the first fabric switch.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet is the second virtual switch identifier.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that an egress switch identifier in a third encapsulation header of a third packet is a switch identifier of the switch, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the third packet is the second virtual switch identifier;

learning a media access control (MAC) address from an inner packet of the third packet; and

storing the learned MAC address in association with the second virtual switch identifier in a storage device.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining an external switch as a next-hop switch for the first packet based on the first encapsulation header, wherein the external switch is not a member switch of the first fabric switch.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the first encapsulation header is one or more of:

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

a Internet Protocol (IP) header, wherein the ingress and egress switch identifiers of the first encapsulation header are IP addresses.

17. A computer system;

comprising;

a processor;

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

maintaining a membership of a switch in a first fabric switch, wherein the fabric switch includes a plurality of switches and operates as a single logical switch;

determining that an egress switch identifier in a first encapsulation header of a first packet is associated with a switch outside of the fabric switch, wherein the first packet is forwardable in the first fabric switch based on the first encapsulation header; and

in response to the determination, changing an ingress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header of the first packet to a first virtual switch identifier associated with a first virtual switch, wherein the first virtual switch externally represents the first fabric switch, thereby facilitating interconnection of fabric switches.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the egress switch identifier in the first encapsulation header is a second virtual switch identifier associated with a second virtual switch, wherein the second virtual switch externally represents a second fabric switch.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein routing information of the first fabric switch indicates that the second virtual switch is reachable via the switch.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that an egress switch identifier in a second encapsulation header of a second packet is the first virtual switch identifier; and

in response to the determination, changing the egress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet to a switch identifier which identifies a member switch in the first fabric switch.

21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the second packet is the second virtual switch identifier.

22. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that an egress switch identifier in a third encapsulation header of a third packet is a switch identifier of the switch, wherein an ingress switch identifier in the second encapsulation header of the third packet is the second virtual switch identifier;

learning a media access control (MAC) address from an inner packet of the third packet; and

storing the learned MAC address in association with the second virtual switch identifier in a storage device.

23. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises determining an external switch as a next-hop switch for the first packet based on the first encapsulation header, wherein the external switch is not a member switch of the first fabric switch.

24. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the first encapsulation header is one or more of:

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

a Internet Protocol (IP) header, wherein the ingress and egress switch identifiers of the first encapsulation header are IP addresses.