Cisco Technology, Inc.

Sebastien T Rosset

Shrey Ajmera

Brian Yoshiaki Uchino

Vipin Dravid

Sesidhar Baddela

Suresh Kumar Kewalram

Keerthana Parthasarathy

A methodology is provided. The methodology includes: creating a virtual storage area network between one or more storage arrays and a switch; creating a service profile for a zoning configuration, wherein the service profile is associated with at least one or more servers to create the zoning configuration; updating the zoning configuration with a worldwide port name identity for each of the one or more servers; configuring virtual host bus adapters for the service profile; associating a storage target port on one of the one or more storage arrays with a specific one of the virtual host bus adapters; and associating at least one of the one or more servers to a storage policy, wherein storage target ports can be added and removed from the storage policy, wherein a change of one of the storage target ports in the storage policy causes a change of the zoning configuration.

System and method for policy based fibre channel zoning based on storage ports and bus adaptors

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes connecting one or more storage arrays to a switch; connecting one or more servers to the switch; creating a virtual storage area network between the one or more storage arrays and the switch; creating a service profile for a zoning configuration; and associating at least one of the one or more servers to a storage policy, wherein storage target ports can be added and removed from the storage policy, wherein a change of one of the storage target ports in the storage policy causes a change of the zoning configuration, wherein the storage policy includes an identifier of a fiber channel adaptor. In more specific examples, the method can include configuring virtual host bus adapters for the service profile; configuring parameters for each of the virtual host bus adapters; and associating a target port on one of the one or more storage arrays with a specific one of the virtual host bus adapters.

System and method for policy based fibre channel zoning for virtualized and stateless computing in a network environment

A network device manages multiple computers and connects the computers to boot devices that store boot programs used by the computers to boot. The network device downloads to each computer a respective boot order that specifies an order in which the computer is to attempt to boot from boot devices specified in the boot order. The network device automatically determines network paths over which each computer is to access the boot devices in the boot order for that computer. The network device automatically determines an availability of each network path and an availability of each boot device. The network device also receives boot status from each computer while the computer attempts to boot from boot devices in the boot order for that computer. The network device automatically performs boot-related actions based on the determined network path and boot device availabilities, and the received boot status.

Dynamic, automated monitoring and controlling of boot operations in computers

An example method for hybrid Fiber Channel (FC) storage with end-to-end storage provisioning and external connectivity in a storage area network (SAN) environment is provided and includes partitioning a SAN into an internal virtual storage area network (VSAN) for connectivity to an internal storage element located in a first portion of the SAN implemented in a unified computing system (UCS), where a second portion of the SAN is external to the UCS, partitioning the SAN into an external VSAN for connectivity to an external storage element located in the second portion of the SAN, and facilitating communication with the internal storage element over the internal VSAN and with the external storage element over the external VSAN. In one embodiment, border ports on a FI in FC switching mode are configured as N-ports for the external VSAN, and the external storage element is attached to the UCS through an N-port.

Hybrid fibre channel storage with end-to-end storage provisioning and external connectivity in a storage area network environment

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes instantiating a virtual adapter on a network device connected to a storage array, the virtual adapter capable of communicating with the storage array; determining storage configuration properties for the network device; and provisioning a portion of the storage array to the network device in accordance with the determined storage configuration properties. The method may further comprise associating the network device with a service profile, where the storage configuration properties are specified in the service profile. Still further, the method may comprise configuring the network device in accordance with the associated service profile, where the instantiating is also performed in accordance with the associated service profile.

System and method for in-band LUN provisioning in a data center network environment

A method, apparatus and computer-readable storage media are provided for determining, at a physical switch configured to interface with a plurality of physical servers via a plurality of corresponding physical ports of the physical switch, a number of virtual local area networks (VLANs) serviced by the plurality of physical servers, each of which is configured to service one or more virtual machines in one or more of the VLANs. A plurality of VLAN compression groups are automatically defined such that a port VLAN count of the physical switch is reduced, wherein the port VLAN count identifies a number of VLANs that interface with the physical switch via the plurality of physical ports. The one or more VLANs are automatically assigned to one of the VLAN compression groups.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Sebastien T Rosset