Abstract: A Fibre Channel over Ethernet (“FCoE”) frame format allows a Fibre Channel (“FC”) base frame to be transmitted and routed through an Ethernet network. In one implementation, an FCoE frame includes SCSI information represented in a FC frame to which is prepended an FCoE header. The FCoE header/FC frame combination is encapsulated in an Ethernet frame shell to form an FCoE frame. Implementations of the FCoE frame may include an FCoE header containing fields and data pertaining to the version of the FCoE header of the FCoE frame, synchronized time values, various flags, directional values, and type values.

Abstract: A network architecture provides Ethernet services over a Fibre Channel (FC) storage area network infrastructure. The fabric provides transparent bridging services to Ethernet end stations connected at the edge of the FC fabric via multi-protocol switches that support Ethernet over Fibre Channel (EoFC) technology. An Ethernet frame is received from a first Ethernet edge network by an ingress Ethernet port of a first virtual bridge and is encapsulated in a FC frame shell to form an EoFC frame. The EoFC frame is then transmitted out an egress FC port of the first virtual bridge and routed through the FC fabric using an FC routing protocol. When the encapsulated frame reaches an ingress FC port of a second virtual bridge, the EoFC frame is de-encapsulated to yield the original Ethernet frame, which is transmitted out an egress Ethernet port of the second virtual bridge into a second Ethernet edge network.