System for segmenting a fibre channel arbitrated loop to a plurality of logical sub-loops using segmentation router as a master to cause the segmentation of physical addresses
US6314488A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 12, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 12, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L12/4637
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A segmented fiber channel communications system includes a segmentation router, including a plurality of ports. Control instructions associated with the segmentation router establish the segmentation router as a master router by initializing each of at least a predetermined subset of the plurality of ports on a fiber channel arbitrated loop associated with the segmentation router. This causes the segmentation router to win the LISM process performed by the fiber channel arbitrated loop. Control instructions further includes instructions for transmitting LIPA, LIHA, and LISA frames to the fiber channel arbitrated loop from each of the ports. Transmission begins with LIPA frames having all but the LIPA frame range of address bits set to 1. This prevents other network loop ports attached to a router other than the master router from acquiring a duplicate address. The system then establishes a plurality of sub-loops each associated with a predetermined set of physical addresses.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.