Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Ding Long Wu

David C Banks

Jieming Zhu

Shunjia Yu

Vincent W Guan

Eric R Griffith

Jeffery Stai

The present invention provides a system and a method for filtering a plurality of frames sent between devices coupled to a fabric by Fiber Channel connections. Frames are reviewed against a set of individual frame filters. Each frame filter is associated with an action, and actions selected by filter matches are prioritized. Groups of devices are 'zoned' together and frame filtering ensures that restrictions placed upon communications between devices within the same zone are enforced. Zone group filtering is also used to prevent devices not within the same zone from communicating. Zoning may also be used to create LUN-level zones, protocol zones, and access control zones. In addition, individual frame filters may be created that reference selected portions of frame header or frame payload fields.

Frame filtering of fibre channel packets

A system and method for sending frames between a public device and a private device comprise a phantom device mapping, an address translation, a frame payload translation, and a CRC regeneration. The system and method assign a phantom AL_PA for the public device and establishes a phantom device mapping between the phantom AL_PA and the public device's Port_ID. With the phantom device mapping, the present invention directs all communication between the public device and the private loop device as if the communication were between a phantom device and the private device. Specifically, the system and method comprise a public-to-private address translation in one direction and a private-to-public address translation in the other direction. During the public-to-private address translation process, the source address of the frame is converted to a phantom AL_PA. The public-to-private address translation uses a Port_ID to phantom AL_PA mapping table and finds an entry where the Port_ID matches the source address. The public-to-private address translation replaces the source address of the frame with the phantom AL_PA of the matched entry, and the destination address with the AL_PA only of the destination device. The private-to-public address translation replaces the destination address of the frame with the Port_ID of the matched entry, and the source address with the fabric assigned address of the private device.

System and method for sending and receiving frames between a public device and a private device

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Ding Long Wu