Dell Products Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Jason Garth Pearce

Kevin Allen Hughes

Jeffrey S Kirk

Joseph LaSalle White

Marc Cochran

T Bryan Varble

Malcolm Scott Allen-Ware

Jonathan Foster Lewis

Jeffrey Bloom

Alexander T Iannicelli

Kevin E Locklear

Alan Ross

Curtis D Bunch

Avinash N Suvvari

James H H Chou

An internal route usage information from a set of internal route usage information is analyzed to determine an encoding structure used in the internal route usage information and an external route that is referenced in internal route usage information. Using the set of internal route usage information, a subset of external route change information is selected from a set of external route change information, where each changed external route represented in the subset is usable to reach a currently used destination on an external network. A first external route change information from the subset is encoded according to the encoding structure, forming a first encoded route change data. Using the first encoded route change data, an internal router in an internal network is caused to recognize a status change in a first external route.

Propagating external route changes into a cloud network

An Ethernet SAN system includes an initiator device and a target device coupled together by an Ethernet fabric that includes a plurality of Ethernet switch devices. The Ethernet switch devices exchange L2 FIP domain exchange multicast frames that include domain information associated with each of the Ethernet switch devices. That domain information is then used to exchange L2 FIP path exchange multicast frames that include path information associated with each of the Ethernet switch devices. That path information is then used to calculate path costs associated with at least some of the Ethernet switch devices. Those path costs are then used to exchange L2 FIP device exchange unicast frames that include device information associated with the initiator device and the target device. The Ethernet switch devices then transmit data between the initiator device and the target device based on the device information and the path costs.

System and method for transmitting data via ethernet switch devices in an ethernet fabric

Preparing a plurality of computer nodes to boot in a multidimensional fabric network is provided. The method includes a fabric processor (FP) generating a plurality of DHCP discovery packets using a baseboard management controller (BMC) MAC address, and placing them into the multi-host switch. A dedicated connection directly connects the BMC and the FP. All ports of the multi-host switch broadcast DHCP discovery packets into the fabric network. The BMC, FP, and switch are all within the node. A designated exit node inside the fabric connects to a provisioning node not part of the fabric. The exit node relays DHCP traffic from the fabric. A location-based IP address uniquely identifies the nodes' physical location in the fabric. The IP address is calculated based on inventory records describing physical location information about the nodes. The FP calculates a host MAC address using its IP address and configures it onto the switch.

Preparing computer nodes to boot in a multidimensional torus fabric network

A FC system includes an FC switch that receives local device FLOGIs that identify local devices through a first subset of ports, and provides a local address in a mapping database for each of the identified local devices. The FC switch then transmits an FC switch FLOGI using a second subset of ports through which no local device fabric login was received, and determines whether a FLOGI ACC has been received back. If a FLOGI ACC is received, the FC switch provides a fabric address in the mapping database for each of the identified local devices, and uses the local addresses/fabric addresses for each respective identified local device to provide communications between the identified local devices and an FC fabric. If no fabric login acceptance is received, the FC networking device uses the local addresses for respective identified local devices to provide communications between the identified local devices.

Gateway/standalone fibre channel switch system

A managed boot process system includes a management device coupled to a networking device through a network. The networking device includes a storage system with an assured boot image, a plurality of runtime images, and a plurality of session data, and a memory system having boot instructions. A processing system in the networking device stores the plurality of session details in the storage system during a management session with the management device and prior to a reboot. The processing system then performs a reboot and executes the boot instructions to load the assured boot image. The networking device then uses the session details to restart the management session without reauthorization subsequent to loading the assured boot image and prior to loading a runtime image. The networking device then provides a graphical user interface over the network to the management device and uses it to receive a management instruction for execution.

Managed boot process system

A sled mounted processing node apparatus includes a first processing node sled. A first printed circuit board (PCB) is coupled to the processing node sled. Electronic components, including at least one processor, are coupled to the PCB. The apparatus includes a second processing node sled having a second PCB connected to the second processing node sled and a second set of electronic components, including at least one second processor, coupled to the second PCB. The at least one processor and second processor collectively enables increased processing density within a single server chassis. Each processing node sled is configured to be slideably inserted and removed from a server chassis that accommodates concurrent insertion of multiple processing node sleds in respective sled bays of the server chassis.

Sled mounted processing nodes for an information handling system

An Ethernet switch includes an Ethernet processing system. Layer two (L2) forwarding tables are provided with the Ethernet processing system, and a memory system is coupled to the Ethernet processing system and includes Ethernet processing system software. A control subsystem establishes communication with the Ethernet processing system and modifies the L2 forwarding tables by removing default Ethernet entries, adding Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) formatted FC well know addresses (WKAs), and setting the one or more L2 forwarding tables to remain persistent. The control subsystem also instructs the Ethernet processing system to forward FC control frames to the control subsystem, and replaces first link state instructions in the Ethernet processing system software with second link state instructions to change Ethernet behavior to FC behavior. The control subsystem may then process FC information in received FCoE format Ethernet frames.

Fibre channel gateway system

A Fiber Channel (FC) switch system includes a server IHS and a storage IHS that each communicate using an FC protocol. A switch IHS couples the server IHS to the storage IHS. A first converter in the switch IHS receives first FC data traffic from the server IHS and converts it to first FC over Ethernet (FCoE) data traffic. A protocol processing engine in the switch IHS is coupled to the first converter and receives the first FCoE data traffic from the first converter and processes it to provide second FCoE data traffic for delivery to the storage IHS. A second converter in the switch IHS is coupled to the protocol processing engine and the storage IHS and receives the second FCoE data traffic from the protocol processing engine, converts it to second FC data traffic, and sends the second FC data traffic to the storage IHS.

Fibre channel switch system

An FCoE forwarding system includes a non-FCoE-enabled networking device coupled between a source device and an FC device and including a plurality of Lforwarding tables. The non-FCoE-enabled networking device receives a first communication from the source device and determines that the first communication includes a first FCoE frame. The non-FCoE-enabled networking device then retrieves first data from a first standard IP frame location in the first FCoE frame, second data from a second standard IP frame location in the first FCoE frame, and third data from a third standard IP frame location in the first FCoE frame, and uses the first data to reference a first Lforwarding table of the plurality of Lforwarding tables. The first non-FCoE-enabled networking device then uses the first Lforwarding table with the second data and the third data to forward the first FCoE frame on to the FC device.

Fiber channel over ethernet (FCoE) frame forwarding system

An information handling system (IHS) network includes a server IHS and a Fiber Channel (FC) switch IHS that are each directly connected a FC gateway. The FC gateway is configured to establish communication with the FC switch IHS. The FC gateway then receives one of an FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) fabric login message and a FIP fabric discovery message from the server IHS and, in response, provides a FCoE fabric discovery message and converts the FCoE fabric discovery message to an FC fabric discovery message that is provided to the FC switch IHS. The FC gateway also receive a FC fabric discovery accept message from the FC switch IHS, converts the FC fabric discovery accept message to an FCoE fabric discovery accept message, and provides one of a FIP fabric login accept message and a FIP fabric discovery accept message to the server IHS.

An FCoE switch system includes a switch IHS that is directly connected to a first endpoint IHS through a first edge port and to a second endpoint IHS through a second edge port. The switch IHS is receives an FCoE communication through the first edge port from the first endpoint IHS that includes an FC header, a source MAC address, and a destination MAC address. The switch IHS then creates a derived MAC address using information included in the FC header, and replaces the destination MAC address in the FCoE communication with the derived MAC address. In response to determining that the second endpoint is directly connected to the second edge port, the switch IHS replaces the source MAC address in the FCoE communication with a local FCF-MAC address. The switch IHS then forwards the first FCoE communication to the second endpoint IHS through the second edge port.

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Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Jason Garth Pearce