Dynamic port type detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10230825-B2
Application number	US-201615283483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

An aspect includes dynamic port type detection. Packet routing paths are defined in a table of a switch for flows within a network based on a communication received on a secure channel between a network controller and the switch. A link initialization frame that includes a protocol identifier is received at a port of the switch. Based on successfully decoding the protocol identifier, the port is configured to a mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier. The table in the switch is updated to configure one or more other ports of the switch to the mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier. A handshake response is sent to acknowledge the successful decoding of the protocol identifier.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for dynamic port type detection, comprising:
adding a plurality of entries in a table in a switch responsive to communication received on a secure channel between a network controller and the switch, the entries defining a plurality of packet routing paths for a plurality of flows within a network to forward a plurality of packets from at least one port of the switch to one or more other ports of the network based on a header format of the packets;
setting a default mode of operation for a link at a server upon server initialization;
setting a wait pulse repetition time at the server;
setting a number of supported modes of operation at the server;
setting a protocol identifier to the default mode of operation prior to transmitting a link initialization frame;
receiving the link initialization frame at a port of the switch from the server, the link initialization frame comprising a header and the protocol identifier as a series of fields in the link initialization frame;
based on successfully decoding the protocol identifier:
configuring the port to a mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier;
updating one or more of the entries in the table in the switch to configure one or more other ports of the switch to the mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier; and
sending a handshake response to acknowledge the successful decoding of the protocol identifier; and

based on failing to receive the handshake response at the server prior to expiration of the wait pulse repetition time:
changing the protocol identifier to a next mode of operation selected from the supported modes of operation;
resetting the wait pulse repetition time;
transmitting the link initialization frame; and
repeating the changing of the protocol identifier, the resetting of the wait pulse repetition time, and the transmitting of the link initialization frame until the handshake response is received or all of the number of supported modes of operation are checked.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the link initialization frame is defined at one or more of a physical layer and a link layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
resetting one or more of the physical layer and the link layer to configure the port of the switch based on one or more of: receiving a link reset request at the port and sending a link disable signal from the port, wherein the link disable signal is configured to wraparound from an output of the port to a port reset circuit.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
based on the updating of the table in the switch, updating port and protocol information in the network controller configured to control the switch.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
periodically transmitting the link initialization frame from the server through the link to the switch upon link initialization; and
based on receiving the handshake response at the server, updating configuration information at the server indicating that the port of the switch is set to the mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier, wherein the mode of operation establishes a highest permitted data rate for the link.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
based on receiving the handshake response at the server, updating the default mode of operation for the link to correspond with a most recent protocol identifier sent in a most recently acknowledged link initialization frame.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protocol identifier identifies a protocol selected from: Ethernet, Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), Internet Wide Area Remote direct memory access Protocol (iWARP), and Remote direct memory access over Converged Ethernet (RoCE).

8. A system for dynamic port type detection, comprising:
a network controller;
a server configured to perform a method comprising:
setting a default mode of operation for a link at the server upon server initialization;
setting a wait pulse repetition time at the server;
setting a number of supported modes of operation at the server;
setting a protocol identifier to the default mode of operation prior to transmitting a link initialization frame; and
based on failing to receive a handshake response at the server prior to expiration of the wait pulse repetition time:
changing the protocol identifier to a next mode of operation selected from the supported modes of operation;
resetting the wait pulse repetition time;
transmitting the link initialization frame; and
repeating the changing of the protocol identifier, the resetting of the wait pulse repetition time, and the transmitting of the link initialization frame until the handshake response is received or all of the number of supported modes of operation are checked; and

a switch coupled to the network controller by a secure channel, the switch comprising a port coupled to the server by the link in a network, the switch further comprising switch logic configured to perform a method comprising:
adding a plurality of entries in a table in a switch responsive to communication received on the secure channel from the network controller, the entries defining a plurality of packet routing paths for a plurality of flows within the network to forward a plurality of packets from at least one port of the switch to one or more other ports of the network based on a header format of the packets;
receiving the link initialization frame at the port of the switch from the server, the link initialization frame comprising a header and the protocol identifier as a series of fields in the link initialization frame; and
based on successfully decoding the protocol identifier:
configuring the port to a mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier;
updating one or more of the entries in the table in the switch to configure one or more other ports of the switch to the mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier; and
sending the handshake response to acknowledge the successful decoding of the protocol identifier.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the link initialization frame is defined at one or more of a physical layer and a link layer.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the switch logic is further configured to reset one or more of the physical layer and the link layer to configure the port of the switch based on one or more of: receiving a link reset request at the port and sending a link disable signal from the port, wherein the link disable signal is configured to wraparound from an output of the port to a port reset circuit.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein based on the updating of the table in the switch, port and protocol information in the network controller configured to control the switch is updated.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the server is configured to perform a method comprising:
periodically transmitting the link initialization frame from the server through the link to the switch upon link initialization; and
based on receiving the handshake response at the server, updating configuration information at the server indicating that the port of the switch is set to the mode of operation compatible with the protocol identifier, wherein the mode of operation establishes a highest permitted data rate for the link.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the server is further configured to perform:
based on receiving the handshake response at the server, updating the default mode of Operation for the link to correspond with a most recent protocol identifier sent in a most recently acknowledged link initialization frame.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Decusatis Casimer
• Krishnamurthy Rajaram B

Classifications

• H04L41/0809

  Plug-and-play configuration · CPC title

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L69/18

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · CPC title

• H04L45/24

  Multipath · CPC title

• H04L41/0866

  Checking the configuration · CPC title