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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF) suspends a fabric session with a virtual machine (VM) in response to receipt of a deregister message from the virtual machine through an Ethernet bridge and transmits a deregister acceptance message to the VM. The Ethernet bridge detects the messages and updates its Access Control List (ACL) to remove the MAC address of the VM. While the fabric session is suspended, a virtual machine may migrate to another physical machine without terminating its connection to the fabric. After migration, the FCF resumes its fabric session with the VM in response to receipt of a register message from the VM through a second Ethernet bridge. The FCF responds to the register message with a register acceptance message. The Ethernet bridge detects the messages and updates its Access Control List (ACL) to add the MAC address of the VM.

Abstract: A method of initializing a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) link between a Fibre Channel over Ethernet node (ENode) and Fibre 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 Fibre Channel operation using the second MAC addresses. The implementations described herein may additionally distinguish management and initialization processes from normal Fibre Channel operation using separate Ethertypes.

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.