Patent · US Active

Controlling switch mechanism for detecting fibre channel over ethernet data forwarder failure

US9130874B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by

1References

13Claims

0Family size

Assignee

International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

Roger G. Hathorn · Tucson, US
Henry J. May · Mantorville, US
Daniel Sentler · Passau, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Nov 20, 2013
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Mar 5, 2034

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH04L49/70
WIPO fieldDigital communication
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques are provided for detecting failure of switching elements of a distributed switch configured to forward Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frames. Periodic discovery advertisement messages, which include a fabric name fieldm, are transmitted between a controlling Fiber Channel Forwarder (cFCF) and a FCoE data forwarder (FDF). The cFCF determines a FDF has failed out of the switch fabric based on a reserved value in the fabric name field of a received discovery advertisement message, such as a zero or null value, and de-instantiates virtual links with that FDF.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.