Patents Assigned to Brocade Communications Systems
  • Patent number: 8125992
    Abstract: A Fiber Channel router used to join fabrics. EX_ports are used to connect to the fabrics. The EX_port joins the fabric but the router will not merge into the fabric. Ports in the Fiber Channel router can be in a fabric, but other ports can be connected to other fabrics. Fiber Channel routers can be interconnected using a backbone fabric. Global, interfabric and encapsulation headers are developed to allow routing by conventional Fiber Channel switch devices in the backbone fabric and simplify Fiber Channel router routing. Phantom domains and devices must be developed for each of the fabrics being interconnected. Front phantom domains are present at each port directly connected to a fabric. Each of these is then connected to at least one translate phantom domain. Zoning is accomplished by use of a special LSAN zoning naming convention. This allows each administrator to independently define devices are accessible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Hideo Makishima, Daniel Ji Yong Park
  • Patent number: 8116339
    Abstract: A system and method for creating and enforcing meta-zones that cross the interface between different network protocols are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of enforcing meta-zones comprises: (a) receiving an Infiniband (IB) packet destined for a Fiber Channel (FC) target device; (b) comparing a partition key in the IB packet to a partition key associated with the FC target device; and (c) converting the IB packet to a FC frame only if the partition keys match. The method may further comprise receiving FC frames destined for an IB target device and converting the FC frame into an IB packet having a partition key associated with the source of the FC frame. Also disclosed are a gateway configured to create and enforce meta-zones, and computer networks having such a gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Howard Green
  • Patent number: 8107398
    Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for improved zone merge operations are disclosed. Two connected switches are arbitrated as an initiator and a receiver. The merge operation is initiated only by the initiator on an initiator/receiver inter-switch link. The initiator may initiate a merge request and the receiver may perform the computation of the difference between the old and the new zone. Either the whole configuration or only the differences are communicated between the switches. The merges may be done on a connected switch basis, not on a connected port basis. Only the principle ports in the principle inter-switch-link perform the merge operation. All the remaining ports, i.e. the non-principle ports, adopt the merge result of the principle ports. The zone information may also be cached on each switch such that merge calculations need not be performed again when a merge operation with the same configuration occurs in the future.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Lin, Eric Andre Warmenhoven, James Hu, Sundar Poudyal
  • Patent number: 8108454
    Abstract: A method of initializing a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) link between a Fiber Channel over Ethernet node (ENode) and Fiber Channel Forwarders (FCFs) in a network by discovering the presence of FCFs available to the ENode and other FCFs, assigning second MAC addresses to the ENode corresponding to each available FCF, and converting from a management and initialization process using the first MAC address to normal Fiber Channel operation using the second MAC addresses. The implementations described herein may additionally distinguish management and initialization processes from normal Fiber Channel operation using separate Ethertypes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Norman Snively, Sandra Snively, legal representative, Ezio Valdevit, Suresh Vobbilisetty, John Hufferd, Glenn Charles Wenig, Boris Zemlyak, Anoop Ghanwani
  • Publication number: 20120023309
    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: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Vineet M. Abraham, Bill Ying Chin, William R. Mahoney, Aditya Saxena, Xupei Liang, Bill Jianqiang Zhou
  • Publication number: 20120023082
    Abstract: Longest Prefix Match (LPM) is implemented using a binary tree based search algorithm. Masked entries are stored in a plurality of binary search engines, wherein each of the binary search engines stores masked entries of a corresponding mask length. A search value is applied to each of the binary search engines in parallel. The search value is masked within each of the binary search engines, thereby creating a plurality of masked search values, each having a masked length equal to the mask length of the corresponding binary search engine. Each of the masked search values is compared with the masked entries of the corresponding binary search engine. An LPM result is selected from the binary search engine that detects a match, and has the longest corresponding mask length. Alternately, each binary search engine stores masked entries of N mask lengths, and N consecutive comparisons are performed to identify the LPM.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sridhar Kotha, Satyanarayana Arvapalli, Vikram Bichal, Anil Kumar Gajkela, Srinivas Reddy Bhima reddy, Balaji Tadepalli, Venkatesh Nagapudi, Satsheel Altekar
  • Publication number: 20120023319
    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: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bill Ying Chin, Ilya Ratner, Tushar Desai, Surendranadh Madineni, William R. Mahoney
  • Publication number: 20120011246
    Abstract: A switch may be used to force the expiration of a cookie on a user's system by inserting an expiration field into the cookie contained in a network response packet. Additionally, a mechanism is provided to delete or damage a cookie contained in a network request packet, so that server software is not disrupted by the receipt of a cookie. Deleting a cookie results in a cleaner request, but damaging a cookie may be more efficient in certain circumstances. By providing these features, an efficient cookie switching design is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Rui Li
  • Publication number: 20120008635
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing network route redundancy through Layer 2 devices, such as a loop free Layer 2 network having a plurality of switching devices. A virtual switch is coupled to the loop free Layer 2 network, the virtual switch having two or more switches configured to transition between master and backup modes to provide redundant support for the loop free Layer 2 network, the switches communicating their status through use of a plurality of redundancy control packets. The system also includes means for allowing the redundancy control packets to be flooded through the Layer 2 network. The means may include time-to-live data attached to the redundancy control packet which is decremented only when the packets are transferred through devices which are configured to recognize the protocol used in redundancy control packets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Tai-Chin Kuo, Ivy Pei-Shan Hsu, Jordi Moncada-Elias, Rajkumar Jalan, Gurudeep Kamat
  • Publication number: 20120011297
    Abstract: An isolation switch blade Fibre Channel switch presents F_ports to form a first Fibre Channel fabric and N_ports to a second Fibre Channel fabric to appear as node devices. The isolation switch blade may be used to connect a plurality of blade servers to a Fibre Channel fabric. Fabric events engendered by the insertion or removal of hot-pluggable devices are handled by the isolation switch blade and “event storms” on the Fibre Channel fabric are avoided. The isolation switch blade presents the blade servers to the FC fabric as a virtualized N_port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Santosh Shanbhag, Richard L. Hammons, Balakumar N. Kaushik, Vincent W. Guan
  • Patent number: 8090901
    Abstract: Methods for efficiently managing a ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) by minimizing movements of TCAM entries include determining a first node and a second node in the TCAM, determining if there is a free TCAM entry between the first node and the second node, and storing the new entry in the free TCAM entry. Upon determining that a free TCAM entry does not exist between the first node and the second node, further determining a chain of nodes and then determining if there is a free TCAM entry in the chain of nodes. Upon determining that there is a free TCAM entry within the chain of nodes, moving the TCAM entries identified as the nodes in the chain of nodes to generate a free node nearest to the new entry and inserting the new entry in the free node. Moving the TCAM entries identified as the nodes in the chain of nodes preserves the order of the nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Kwun-Nan Lin, Gefan Zhang, Rajeshekhar Murtinty
  • Patent number: 8081642
    Abstract: An interfabric link between two separate Fibre Channel fabrics so that devices in one fabric can communicate with devices in another fabric without requiring the merger of the two fabrics. The interfabric switch performs a conversion or a translation of device addresses in each fabric so that they are accessible to the other fabric. This translation is preferably done using a private to public loop address translation. In a first embodiment the external ports of the interfabric switch are configured as E_ports. A series of internal ports in each interfabric switch are joined together forming a series of virtual or logical switches. The virtual switches are then interconnected using private loops. The use of the private loop is enabled by the presence of translation logic which converts fabric addresses to loop addresses and back so that loop and fabric devices can communicate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Del Signore, Vineet M. Abraham, Sathish K. Gnanasekaran, Pranab Patnaik, Vincent W. Guan, Balakumar N. Kaushik
  • Patent number: 8077730
    Abstract: Systems particularly a virtualization switch or a storage device, which include virtual ports connected to virtual devices with virtual worldwide names and virtual LUNs. Because Fibre Channel environment hosts can track worldwide names from one port to another and allow continuity in that regard, the virtual worldwide names are provided with relevant virtual LUNs and connected these to virtual ports so that the virtual devices can be moved as desired to overcome failures or to allow load balancing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Naveen S. Maveli, Subhojit Roy, Richard L Hammons, Carlos Alonso
  • Patent number: 8078575
    Abstract: File system disaster recovery techniques provide automated monitoring, failure detection and multi-step failover from a primary designated target to one of a designated group of secondary designated targets. Secondary designated targets may be prioritized so that failover occurs in a prescribed sequence. Replication of information between the primary designated target and the secondary designated targets allows failover in a manner that maximizes continuity of operation. In addition, user-specified actions may be initiated on failure detection and/or on failover operations and/or on failback operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Rahul Mehta, Hans Glitsch, Paul Place, Steve Van Horn
  • Publication number: 20110283100
    Abstract: A management station which manages the encryption devices in a SAN to set up encrypted LUNs. In setting up the encryption, the source and target ports are identified, along with the target LUN. LUN serial numbers used to identify unique LUNs. As paths to a given LUN are defined, the management station compares the path to existing paths and provides an indication if there is a mismatch in the encryption policies or keys being applied to the LUN over the various paths. This allows the administrator to readily identify when there is a problem with the paths to an encrypted LUN and then take steps to cure the problem. By determining the paths and then comparing them, the management station greatly simplifies setting up multipath I/O to an encrypted LUN or access by multiple hosts to an encrypted LUN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: David B. Hamilton, Marcus Thordal, Prakash Kaligotla, Hui-Lin Li
  • Patent number: 8059664
    Abstract: A Fiber Channel router used to join fabrics. EX_ports are used to connect to the fabrics. The EX_port joins the fabric but the router will not merge into the fabric. Ports in the Fiber Channel router can be in a fabric, but other ports can be connected to other fabrics. Fiber Channel routers can be interconnected using a backbone fabric. Global, interfabric and encapsulation headers are developed to allow routing by conventional Fiber Channel switch devices in the backbone fabric and simplify Fiber Channel router routing. Phantom domains and devices must be developed for each of the fabrics being interconnected. Front phantom domains are present at each port directly connected to a fabric. Each of these is then connected to at least one translate phantom domain. Zoning is accomplished by use of a special LSAN zoning naming convention. This allows each administrator to independently define devices are accessible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Wilson, Robert Norman Snively, Edward D. McClanahan, Dennis Hideo Makishima, Daniel Ji Yong Park Chung
  • Patent number: 8060542
    Abstract: A server instance, which is a collection of LUNs, containing an operating system, any applications and data storage. A processing element is the physical hardware. The combination is a server as normally understood. Templates are used to define server instances and server types to simplify deploying a server instance to a processing element. A graphical user interface provides the templates where the particular storage groups are identified and then server instances are created from lists of operating systems, applications, and available storage. The management service processor is a PXE server and provides the necessary software to identify the components of the processing element and correlate between the processing element and a server instance. The management service processor then automatically provides software to the processing element to allow it correctly boot. The management service processor manages the interconnection of the processing element and the relevant LUNs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Vinod R Shankar, Peter H. Benoit, Xinhong (Henry) Zhang, Eric Lindvall
  • Patent number: 8059653
    Abstract: A system and method for load balancing session initiation protocol (SIP) traffic based on bridging and tracking transactions and connections between frontend and backend devices. The method includes receiving a SIP message and parsing a header of the SIP message. The parsing may include selecting a transaction identifier. The method further includes accessing a transaction table based on the transaction identifier and selecting a connection for forwarding the SIP message. The SIP message is then forwarded by the selected connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Zhe Wang, Mani Prasad Kancherla
  • Patent number: 8055731
    Abstract: A method and system for performing network merge testing are disclosed. In one embodiment, the network merge testing method comprises: (i) gathering configuration information from at least two networks; (ii) comparing the configuration information; and (iii) displaying a report that indicates whether an attempted merge of the at least two networks would succeed. The report preferably identifies conflicts between the network configurations, and the method may further include automatic or guided resolution of the conflicts. The configuration information may include: zone names and memberships; domain and port names; security settings; inter-op modes; and long distance modes. A system for implementing the method is also disclosed herein. The system and method may advantageously prevent or diagnose causes of network segmentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communication Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D. Stimac
  • Patent number: 8055794
    Abstract: An isolation switch blade Fiber Channel switch presents F_ports to form a first Fiber Channel fabric and N_ports to a second Fiber Channel fabric to appear as node devices. The isolation switch blade may be used to connect a plurality of blade servers to a Fiber Channel fabric. Fabric events engendered by the insertion or removal of hot-pluggable devices are handled by the isolation switch blade and “event storms” on the Fiber Channel fabric are avoided. The isolation switch blade presents the blade servers to the FC fabric as a virtualized N_port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Santosh Shanbhag, Richard L. Hammons, Balakumar N. Kaushik, Vincent W. Guan