Patents Assigned to Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
  • Patent number: 9104619
    Abstract: Techniques for persisting data stored in volatile memory across a warm boot. One or more portions (referred to as “warm memory”) of volatile memory of the system can be reserved and configured such that the data stored by these portions is not affected by a warm boot thereby resulting in the data stored being persisted across a warm boot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bill Ying Chin, Ilya Ratner, Tushar Desai, Surendranadh Madineni, William R. Mahoney
  • Patent number: 9100203
    Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention, multicast traffic is simultaneously routed via all switches participating in the trunk (can be referred to as partner switches). A respective partner switch synchronizes the local multicast state information with all other partner switches. For a respective multicast group, a plurality of partner switches can be the part of the corresponding multicast distribution tree and obtain multicast traffic from uplink sources. For the multicast group, only one partner switch is elected as the primary forwarder which forwards the multicast traffic via the trunk. Another partner switch can become the primary forwarder for the multicast traffic of another multicast group and provide load sharing of multicast traffic between partner switches. Furthermore, because the partner switches have the multicast traffic and state readily available, in the event of a switch or link failure to the primary forwarder, another partner switch can readily become the primary forwarder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Wing-Keung Adam Yeung, Ajeer Salil Pudiyapura, Ganesan Velrajan
  • Patent number: 9100349
    Abstract: An Ethernet/Fiber Channel network interface device which can be configured by a user to operate on an FC SAN, a CEE network or both. In one embodiment the configuration can be done using jumpers or connections to the pins of a chip, thus allowing a manufacturer to only inventory one device for use with either or both networks. In a second embodiment the configuration can be done in software by setting registers and memory values on the device. This embodiment allows the device to be changed between configurations without removing it from the server or blade. The devices according to the preferred embodiments further reduce power consumption by shutting down portions of the chip not needed based on the configuration of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkata Pramod Balakavi, Venky Nagapudi, Sathseel Altekar, Surya Prakash Varanasi, Li Zhao, Yash V. Bansal
  • Patent number: 9094221
    Abstract: In a network device comprising redundant management processors and one or more linecard processors situated on one or more linecards, a linecard processor maintains multicast information that is synchronized with multicast information, or a portion thereof, maintained by an active management processor. When a switchover is performed due to which a previous standby management processor becomes the new active management processor, the switchover is performed without interrupting any multicast routing services provided by the network device. For example, a switchover may be performed in order to upgrade a linecard processor to a new software version.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mehul Dholakia, Wing-Keung Adam Yeung, Ajeer S. Pudiyapura
  • Patent number: 9094328
    Abstract: A large port count Fiber Channel switch. The large port count switch comprises multiple small switches. Inter-Switch links connect the small switches within the large port count switch. A set of routing rules governs the path data follows through the large port count switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kreg A. Martin, David C. Banks
  • Patent number: 9094334
    Abstract: A solution for virtual router redundancy for server virtualization includes, at a network device configured as a backup router of a virtual router, examining a packet stored in a memory of the network device. Responsive to the examining, the network device determines whether to forward the packet via a network towards a destination or to send the packet via the network to a master router of the virtual router for forwarding of the packet, by the master router, towards the destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sheng-Yih Wang, Lok Yan Hui, Sanjay Khanna, Ivy Pei-Shan Hsu
  • Patent number: 9088496
    Abstract: Improved debugging capabilities for network packet path tracing. Embodiments trace both the control and data planes. During control plane operations each switch appends its identity to the payload, providing a full trace of the control plan path. Responses containing the forward path payload are provided back at each hop, the responses being routing back by tracing back the forward direction control plane. The data plane is monitored by setting traps along the control plane path, with responses at each hop that indicate a given switch has been used being returned along the control plane path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Nikunj Vaidya, Vardarajan Venkatesh
  • Patent number: 9088524
    Abstract: Virtual machine environments are provided in the switches that form a network, with the virtual machines executing network services previously performed by dedicated appliances. The virtual machines can be executed on a single multi-core processor in combination with normal switch functions or on dedicated services processor boards. Packet processors analyze incoming packets and add a services tag containing services entries to any packets. Each switch reviews the services tag and performs any network services resident on that switch. This allows services to be deployed at the optimal locations in the network. The network services may be deployed by use of drag and drop operations. A topology view is presented, along with network services that may be deployed. Services may be selected and dragged to a single switch or multiple switches. The management tool deploys the network services software, with virtual machines being instantiated on the switches as needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Kwon, Joseph Ammirato
  • Patent number: 9069779
    Abstract: In at least some disclosed embodiments, a method includes a) creating a first stub file on a target file server, b) creating a t-stub file at the location of the source directory, c) disabling performance of operations on the source data while allowing completion of operations in progress, d) copying the source data into a hidden directory on the target file server, thus creating target data, e) overwriting the first stub file by renaming the target data, f) enabling performance of operations on the target data, g) performing queued operations on the target data, and h) deleting the source data from the source file server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward D. McClanahan, Ranji Balasubramanian, Borislav Marinov, Dilip Naik
  • Publication number: 20150163898
    Abstract: An embodiment of an electronic system includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including fluid flow channel extending through the PCB. In addition, the electronic system includes an electronic component including a bottom surface and positioned on the PCB over the fluid flow channel to thereby expose the bottom surface of the electronic component to fluid flow through the fluid flow channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Shahriar Mokhtarzad
  • Patent number: 9054972
    Abstract: A port monitor monitors network traffic that passes through a port of a switch. Frame flows routed through the switch are counted by hardware frame counting logic, which includes a content-addressable memory (CAM) and counters corresponding to various frame flows. Port monitor software includes logical containers (“buckets”), which are used to record and sort counts of the frame flows from hardware based on activity of the frame flows. Frame flow sorting is based on confidence building algorithms such that the thrashing of frame flows between buckets is reduced. Storage and sorting of the frame flows in software allows the activity level of any number of frame flows associated with the switch to be counted, regardless of hardware limitations on how many frame flows can be counted. This allows a real-time analysis of frame flows and a determination of frame flows that are major users of Fiber Channel bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Amit Kanda, Sathish Kumar Gnanasekaran
  • Patent number: 9049139
    Abstract: Specially configured host bus adaptors (HBAs) are located in the switches in the fabric or added to a management server. The HBAs are programmed to perform higher level protocol analysis, such as monitoring exchanges, LUNs, and VM/LUN/LBA ranges and developing SCSI statistics on the flows. The HBA can detect protocol exceptions. When located in the switches, mirroring of the desired frames is simplified as all routing is handled internally to the switch, with the HBA/switch combination providing data over the management Ethernet port to a management server. To maintain performance, preferably only the protocol relevant frames are mirrored to the HBAs. With the data provided from the HBAs, in conjunction with the normal diagnostic and statistics data available from the switch itself, the management server can correlate events end-to-end, correlate I/O error statistics collected from the fabric with server statistics, and correlate performance statistics collected from the fabric with server statistics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Varghese Kallarackal, Sathish Kumar Gnanasekaran, Badrinath Kollu
  • Publication number: 20150149260
    Abstract: A customer satisfaction prediction tool is usable to determine a point value for each of a plurality of leading and lagging service indicators associated with a plurality of service cases. The leading indicators may be based on currently open service cases and the lagging indicators may be based on closed service cases. The tool also is usable to add together the point values to produce a total point value, compute an index score based on the total point value, and display the computed index scores.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: Brocade Communications System, Inc.
    Inventors: James Paul Martin, II, James Robbins, Matt Duster, Ryan Gorman
  • Patent number: 9036479
    Abstract: A buffer to buffer credit recovery mechanism is disclosed in which the ports involved in the credit recovery operation are synchronized while credit recovery is being enabled and during a credit recovery operation when credit recovery parameters are being reset. Buffer to buffer credit recovery involves exchanging primitive control signals and parameters during the login sequence to enable credit recovery. Once credit is lost; there may be a need for resetting a link to reset the credit recovery counters and BB credits. Both of these processes require synchronization between the ports involved in the credit recovery mechanism. This synchronization is achieved by enabling credit recovery during the Link Reset protocol negotiation and ensuring that no frames or R_RDYs are exchanged during the procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Hor-May Chan, Chao Zhang, Pushpanathan Chidambaram, Srikanth Rayas, Vijay Mohan Guvva, Ganesh Murugesan, Venkatesh Puvvada
  • Patent number: 9031899
    Abstract: A method includes creating a temporary target s-stub file. The temporary target s-stub file points to a source share. The method further includes creating a plurality of stub files in a target top-level directory on a target share. Each stub file out of the plurality of stub files corresponds to source data. The source data includes files and subdirectories in a source top-level directory on a source share. The plurality of stub files include source information, the source information is associated with the temporary target s-stub file, and a source s-stub file points to the source share. The method further includes remapping the source s-stub to point to the target share.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward D. McClanahan, Rajni Balasubramanian, Sivakumar Darimisetty
  • Patent number: 9032057
    Abstract: A method of configuring a stack includes: connecting stacking ports of a plurality of stackable devices using one or more stacking links; connecting a user console to a first one of the stackable devices; transmitting a stack setup command from the user console to the first stackable device; and establishing a stack in response to the stack setup command. The stack is established by initiating a discovery process with the first stackable device in response to the stack setup command, wherein the first stackable device requests and receives identifying information from the stackable devices over the stacking links during the discovery process. The topology of the stackable devices is displayed with the user console in response to the identifying information. The stackable devices are authenticated during the discovery process such that the stack setup is secure. The first stackable device becomes the active controller of the stack by default.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bipin Agarwal, Kwun-Nan Kevin Lin, Marc Lewis Lavine, Rajeshekhar Murtinty, Seyung Oh
  • Publication number: 20150124405
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a fan field replaceable unit (FRU). The fan FRU includes a fan FRU chassis defining an airflow pathway through the fan FRU. A fan within the fan FRU chassis causes air to flow along the airflow pathway. The fan FRU further includes an edge connector located at a front face of the fan FRU out of the way of the airflow pathway. Accordingly, the edge connector does not block airflow through the fan FRU thus maximizing the efficiency of the fan FRU and the cooling of the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael K. T. Lee
  • Patent number: 9027129
    Abstract: Techniques for protecting against denial of service attacks are provided. In one embodiment, a network device can extract one or more values from a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ACK packet sent by a client device, where the one or more values encode TCP option information. The network device can further decode the one or more values to determine the TCP option information and embed the TCP option information into the TCP ACK packet. The network device can then forward the TCP ACK packet with the embedded TCP option information to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mani Kancherla
  • Patent number: 9026848
    Abstract: Techniques for achieving high-availability using a single processor (CPU). In a system comprising a multi-core processor, at least two partitions may be configured with each partition being allocated one or more cores of the multiple cores. The partitions may be configured such that one partition operates in active mode while another partition operates in standby mode. In this manner, a single processor is able to provide active-standby functionality, thereby enhancing the availability of the system comprising the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Vineet M. Abraham, Bill Ying Chin, William R. Mahoney, Aditya Saxena, Xupei Liang, Bill Jianqiang Zhou
  • Publication number: 20150117263
    Abstract: Techniques for simplifying stacking trunk creation and management are provided. In one embodiment, a switch in a stacking system can receive first and second control packets from one or more other switches in the stacking system, where the first and second control packets are received on first and second stacking ports of the switch respectively. The switch can then determine, based on the first and second control packets, whether the first and second stacking ports can be configured as a single stacking trunk.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bipin Agarwal, Kwun-Nan Kevin Lin