Method and apparatus for configuring fabrics within a fibre channel system
US5805924A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 8, 1994 |
| Grant date | Sep 8, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 8, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2101/622
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for configuring a system that includes a plurality of interconnected components that each supports service parameters for communicating with other components in the system. A determination is made as to which components support service parameters that are compatible, and groups of components having compatible service parameters are identified. Adjacent components exchange information frames that identify their service parameters. Each component compares its service parameters with those of its adjacent components to determine whether they are compatible, updating its own service parameters if necessary. Any component that updates its service parameters issues another information frame. Thus, information frames are exchanged until it is determined which components support compatible service parameters, and what service parameters are to be used for communicating among those components. Additionally, a unique address is automatically assigned to every port in the system. Control over the entire range of available addresses is initially granted to a master component, which assigns unique addresses to its own ports, and then relinquishes control over ranges of ad…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.