3com Corporation

Joris Johannes Maria Wils

James Scott Hiscock

Edward A Heiner, Jr

Richard H Blanchette

G Stodel Friedman

John Joseph Harrison, Jr

Michael J Seaman

Stephen L Van Seters

William D Townsend

Benny Siman-Tov

Kenneth Gerard Descoteaux

An aggregate link system and process is provided with cooperating link aggregation member devices defining a link aggregation. An connected devices is provided. Network links connect the connected devices to each of the link aggregation member devices. One or more of the network links define an aggregate link. A coordinating system is provided between the link aggregation member devices in the link aggregation of cooperating devices. The coordinating system is defined by the connected devices and the network links. The coordinating system determines a packet type received from the link aggregation. If the packet is one of predetermined packet types, the coordinating system either sends the packet back to the originating link aggregation member device or to the other link aggregation member devices.

Link aggregation repeater process

A system with at least one, and preferably at least two, end devices that operates according to a point-to-point protocol such as the IEEE standard 802.3ad. The two end devices communicate with each other through a trunk cluster formed from a plurality of cluster devices. Each of the cluster devices has a synchronization means for configuring all of the cluster devices with a same logical identity to communicate with the end device according to the point-to-point protocol as if all of the cluster devices were a single device.

Multi-point link aggregation spoofing

A trunk switch of a trunk cluster for connecting a plurality of edge devices to each other, where each edge device can communicate with all the other edge devices through all of the trunk switches. Each trunk switch contains an intra cluster port and intra cluster links connect the intra cluster ports of different trunk switches. When an edge device becomes disconnected from one trunk switch, but is still connected to another trunk switch, the trunk switch from which it has become disconnected transfers the data destined for the disconnected edge device to the intra cluster port which then transfers that data to another trunk switch. The another trunk switch, upon receiving the intra cluster data, then forwards that data to the edge device which has become disconnected from the first trunk switch.

Trunk arrangement in a computer network with intra trunk switch connections

A plurality of Buffer Management (BM) modules or chips communicate through each other through an interconnect. The BM modules receive packets from other parts of the network or external circuitry. These incoming packets are stored in an ingress pool. Data packets that a BM module receives from the interconnect are stored in a egress pool. The BM module takes the packets from the ingress pool and sends the packets across the interconnect to one of the other BM modules through the interconnect. A BM module receives the packet from the interconnect and stores it in an egress pool. The BM module takes packets from the egress pool and transmits it to a another part of the network or associated circuitry.

Efficient means to provide back pressure without head of line blocking in a virtual output queued forwarding system

An aggregate link system is provided with cooperating link aggregation member devices defining a link aggregation. An end device is provided. Network links connect the end device to each of the link aggregation member devices. One or more of the network links define an aggregate link. A coordinating system is provided between the link aggregation member devices in the link aggregation of cooperating devices. The coordinating system is defined by the end device and the network links. The coordinating system determines a packet type received from the link aggregation. If the packet is one of predetermined packet types, the coordinating system either sends the packet back to the originating link aggregation member device or to the other link aggregation member devices.

A packet based high-speed communications mesh is disclosed including a plurality of switches trunked network interfaces including links connecting the switches to form a trunk cluster. Edge devices are connected to the trunk cluster via trunked links. The trunked links provide a physical connection form each switch to each edge device. A configuration protocol is used for configuring the trunk cluster by eliminating links connected to a switch upon loss of connectivity to a switch. The protocol includes trunk configuration protocol packets transmitted by the edge devices. A trunk switch agent associated with each switch receives and transmits all trunking protocol packets for the associated switch and builds up an identifier list upon monitoring trunk configuration protocol packets. The agent monitors link status and accesses the list. The agent issues a requests to bring down all links to edge devices on a trunk switch for removal of the trunk switch upon all links to a particular edge device being lost and another trunk switch of a trunk cluster having at least one link to the particular edge device. Edge devices stop transmitting to the trunk switch upon receiving link down indications from link control hardware.

High-speed trunk cluster reliable load sharing system using temporary port down

A network is operated such that message forwarding traffic is shared among routers in a load-sharing set. The routers are respectively associated with different non-overlapping subspaces of a source address space from which source addresses of source nodes on the network are drawn, and each router has an identifier uniquely identifying the router in the load-sharing set. Address request messages identifying a predetermined forwarding route are broadcast on the network by source nodes, each request message containing a source address of the broadcasting node. In response to each address request message, each router determines whether the source address is within the address subspace associated with the router, and if so returns the router's identifier to the source node. When a message is to be transmitted from a source node to a destination node on another network via a router, the source node transmits the message on the network along with the identifier returned in response to the address request message broadcast by the source node. Each router forwards only those messages that contain the router's identifier.

Automatic load sharing for network routers

A Logical Switch Set (LSS) is provided comprising two or more switches that act as a single packet forwarding device with specific connection rules. The single packet forwarding device is a single logical unit. The LSS may be used as either a redundant switch set (RSS) or as a Load Sharing Switch Set (LSSS). The maximum throughput of the LSSS increases with each additional switch. A LSSS can only interconnect with the other devices via trunked links that contain at least one physical connection to each switch. The RSS may include a trunk link connection and a resilient link connection

Logical switch set

A packet based high speed mesh forms a trunk cluster. The trunk cluster is constructed with a set of loosely coupled switches, a configuration protocol, trunked network interfaces, and optionally a reachablilty protocol. The trunk cluster provides a Logical LAN service. Each switch in the trunk cluster provides a single &ldquo;shared LAN&rdquo; by interconnecting two or more links. The edge devices attached to the links run a trunk configuration protocol. These attached edge devices view the trunked ports as if trunked ports are connected to a shared LAN with multiple other attached devices.

Growing community of inventors

Acton, MA, United States of America

Joris Johannes Maria Wils