Cisco Technology, Inc.

Kishan Kumar Kotari Uppunda

Venu Gopal Tummala

Karthik Subramani

Prabesh Babu Nanjundaiah

Sumanth Sindiri

Harsha Bharadwaj

Srinivas Pitta

Christian Sasso

Ankur Goyal

Siddharth Kasat

Amitkumar V Patel

Ankan Ghosh

Venkata Ramana Talagadadeevi

Malipedy Vijaya Kumar

Jayaprakash Nallapalingu

Lavanya Apsani

Provided are techniques for the efficient distribution of peer zone databases in a FC Fabric. In an example, a switch instantiates a peer zone definition defining a peer zone in which two or more initiator host devices are each permitted to communicate with one or more target storage devices via the switched FC fabric and the two or more initiator host devices are prevented from communicating with each other. The switch stores the peer zone definition in a peer zone database at the FC switch, and distributes the peer zone definition to other FC switches of the switched FC fabric without performing a Fabric lock operation.

Efficient distribution of peer zone database in fibre channel fabric

Efficient distribution of peer zone database in Fibre Channel fabric

Presented herein are priority route based techniques for mitigation of slow drain devices in a Fibre Channel (FC) fabric comprising a plurality of FC switches. In accordance with examples presented herein, a first FC switch in a FC fabric receives an indication that a first computing device attached to the FC fabric has entered a slow drain condition. The first FC switch is configured to prepare and install a priority route for packet flows directed to the first computing device.

Fibre channel fabric slow drain mitigation

In one embodiment, a method for enabling communication between two network fiber channel (FC) switches, includes: receiving at least one protocol frame at a first network FC switch, the at least one protocol frame being received from a second network FC switch connected to the first network FC switch and comprising information related to a manufacturer of the second network FC switch; retrieving a first identifier of the second network FC switch from the at least one protocol frame, the first identifier comprising primary manufacturer information identifying a manufacturer of the second network FC switch; determining that the retrieved first identifier does not match one of a plurality of peer switch manufacturer identifiers stored in a memory of the first network FC switch, each of the plurality of peer switch manufacturer identifiers identifying peer switches for which one or more features may be enabled for communicating with the first network FC switch; retrieving a second identifier of the second network FC switch from the at least one protocol frame when the retrieved first identifier does not match one of the plurality of peer switch manufacturer identifiers, the second identifier comprising secondary manufacturer information identifying the manufacturer of the second network FC switch; and upon determining that the retrieved second identifier matches one of the plurality of peer switch manufacturer identifiers, updating the plurality of peer switch manufacturer identifiers stored in memory of the first network FC switch to include the retrieved first identifier; and enabling at least one of the one or more features for the first network FC switch to communicate with the second network FC switch.

Method and apparatus for enabling communications and features in storage area networks

In one example embodiment, a time unconstrained fabric switch software upgrade function is described for an in-switch-software-upgrade/downgrade (ISSU) in a network switch. Prior to an ISSU, Hello protocol data unit (PDU) information is stored for relevant control protocols of associated interfaces of the switch. The Hello PDU information comprises information on messages and data exchanged by the control protocols that may be used to maintain communications links of the switch. During the configuring of the ISSU, and while the control plane of the switch is, at least partially, dysfunctional, Hello PDUs are sent on the interfaces according to the stored PDU information in order to maintain the communication links. The Hello PDU information may include a time interval value for each relevant protocol that determines when Hello PDUs are sent.

Unconstrained supervisor switch upgrade

A Fiber (Fiber) Channel (FC) switch and related methods are provided for merging FC fabrics. During a merger process of two separate FC fabrics, a principal switch in a merged FC fabric allocates a domain identifier (ID) to each switch in the merged FC fabric. The principal switch is configured to build a complete domain ID list that identifies the domain IDs for all switches in the merged FC fabric. After the complete domain ID list is generated, the principal switch transmits a message to all switches in the merged FC fabric, the message including the complete domain ID list.

Merging fibre channel fabrics

According to one aspect, a Fiber Channel (FC) switch that is currently serving as a Principal Switch among a plurality of FC switches in a FC Fabric sends an Exchange Fabric Parameters (EFP) frame having an empty domain identifier list to neighboring FC switches during a first portion a Principal Switch Selection phase. During a second portion of the Principal Switch Selection phase that is after the first portion, the first Fiber Channel switch sends to neighboring FC switches an EFP frame having a non-empty domain identifier list to indicate to the neighboring FC switches that the first FC switch is to remain serving as the Principal Switch in the FC Fabric.

Persistent principal switch for fibre channel fabric

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Bengaluru, India

Kishan Kumar Kotari Uppunda