Qlogic Corporation

William J Gustafson

Frank R Dropps

James Kunz

Leonard W Haseman

Edward C Ross

Gary M Papenfuss

Ian G Colloff

Mark Alan Owen

Method and system for network communication between a first port and second port using plurality virtual lanes provided. The method includes: (a) configuring a threshold value for each of the plurality of virtual lanes; wherein the threshold value defines an amount of data that has to be moved from a receive segment of the second port, before a flow control packet is sent by the second port to the first port; (b) setting a timer value for each of the plurality of virtual lanes; wherein a flow control packet is sent by the second port after the timer expires; (c) monitoring the amount of data removed from the receive segment of the second port; and (c) sending a flow control packet if the amount of data exceeds the threshold value or if the timer set in step (b) has expired.

Method and system for transmitting flow control information

A method for assigning virtual lanes (VL) in a fiber channel switch is provided. The fiber channel switch element includes a virtual lane cache that can compare incoming frame parameters based on which virtual lanes may be assigned; and a register to store parameters used for virtual lane assignment. The method includes, determining if VL assignment is to be based on an incoming frame parameter or a programmed value; determining if an incoming frame is a preferred frame; and assigning a preferred routing priority if the incoming frame is designated as a preferred frame. The method also includes, determining if a fabric topology is known; and assigning virtual lanes based on a known fabric topology.

Method and system for selecting virtual lanes in fibre channel switches

A method for assigning virtual lanes (VL) in a fibre channel switch is provided. The fibre channel switch element includes a virtual lane cache that can compare incoming frame parameters based on which virtual lanes may be assigned; and a register to store parameters used for virtual lane assignment. The method includes, determining if VL assignment is to be based on an incoming frame parameter or a programmed value; determining if an incoming frame is a preferred frame; and assigning a preferred routing priority if the incoming frame is designated as a preferred frame. The method also includes, determining if a fabric topology is known; and assigning virtual lanes based on a known fabric topology.

A method and system for implementing LUN based hard zoning in a fiber channel network is provided. A LUN field in a Fiber Channel SCSI command frame is compared with a list of LUNS that are allowed for a particular frame source; and the frame is forwarded if the LUN is allowed for the frame source. The comparison is performed by a port receiving the frame by using an address look up table ('ALUT'). Hard zoning is based on various frame fields and/or ALUT control codes. Also provided is a method for processing a reply to a SCSI REPORT LUN command from an initiator. The method includes, intercepting a reply to a REPORT LUN command; editing the reply to remove unauthorized LUNs; and sending the edited reply to the initiator.

LUN based hard zoning in fibre channel switches

A fibre channel switch element with an integrated fabric controller on a single chip is provided. The fabric controller including a processor module that can control various switch element functions; a serlizer/de-serializer for converting parallel data to serial data for transmission; an on-chip peripheral bus that allows communication between plural components and the processor module; a processor local bus and an interrupt controller that provides interrupts to the processor module. The integrated fabric controller also includes a flash controller and an external memory controller; an Ethernet controller; a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter ('UART') module that performs serial to parallel conversion and vice-versa; an IC module that performs serial to parallel and parallel to serial conversion; a general-purpose input/output interface; a real time clock module; an interrupt controller that can receive interrupts inputs from both internal and external sources; and a bridge to an internal PCI bus.

Integrated fibre channel fabric controller

A system and method for transmitting and bundling network packets is provided. The incoming network packet size is determined and if the remote buffer space is sufficient to hold the network packet it is transmitted to the destination port. If the remote buffer space is not enough to hold the network packet it is discarded. The system includes an arbitration module that receives remote buffer space information and transmits the network packet if the remote buffer space has enough space to hold the packet. The arbitration module also determines if a second network packet is from a same source port having a same source virtual lane, and has the same destination virtual lane (bundling conditions). If the second network packet meets the bundling conditions, then it is transmitted after the first network packet, even if other packets were received before the second network packet.

Method and system for controlling packet flow in networks

A system and method for discarding expired network data packets is provided. A time stamp value is assigned to data packets that are received in a data packet queue, wherein the time stamp value is based on a counter value. The time stamp value is extracted after the counter value changes or a new data packet is received at the head of the data packet queue. The extracted time stamp value is then compared with the counter value. Data packets with expired timer value are discarded.

Growing community of inventors

Apple Valley, MN, United States of America

William J Gustafson