Identifying switching paths for ports of crosspoint switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12489717-B2
Application number	US-202318365640-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2023
Priority date	Aug 4, 2023
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A method includes identifying a switching path for source ports and destination ports of a crosspoint based switch including a two-tiered spine-and-leaf architecture. The method includes determining whether a switching path for a connection between a source port and a destination port is available, and identifying whether the source port and the destination port are associated with a same leaf. In response to determining that the switching path is available, the method includes executing a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path on the same leaf. In response to determining that the switching path is unavailable, the method includes identifying whether free connections are available between a source leaf and a spine and a destination leaf and the spine. When the free connections are unavailable, the switching path for the connection between the source port and the destination port is executable by rewiring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for identifying a switching path for one or more source ports and destination ports of a crosspoint based switch including a two-tiered spine-and-leaf architecture, the method comprising:
determining whether a switching path for a potential connection between a source port and a destination port is available, wherein determining whether the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is available comprises:
identifying whether the source port and the destination port are associated with a same leaf, wherein:
when the source port and the destination port are associated with the same leaf, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable without utilizing a spine; and
when the source port and the destination port are not associated with the same leaf, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable by utilizing a spine;

in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is available, executing a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path on the same leaf; and in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable:
identifying whether one or more free connections are available between 1) a source leaf and a spine and 2) a destination leaf and the spine, wherein:
when the one or more free connections are available, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable without disruption to existing connections; and
when the one or more free connections are unavailable, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable by rewiring one or more of the existing connections, the one or more of the existing connections being rewired so as to minimize disruption to the existing connections.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable, executing a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path based on the one or more free connections.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable, executing a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path based on the rewiring of one or more of the existing connections.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the potential connection between the source port and the destination port comprises a unicast connection.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the potential connection between the source port and the destination port comprises a multicast connection.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the destination port comprises a first destination port, the method further comprising:
when the first destination port and a second destination port are associated with a same leaf, executing the connection between the source port and the destination port by duplicating the switching path on the same leaf; and when the first destination port and the second destination port are each associated with a different leaf, executing the connection between the source port and the destination port by duplicating the switching path on a same spine.

7 . The method of claim 6 , the method further comprising:
when at least one of the duplication of the switching path on the same leaf or the duplication of the switching path on the same spine is unavailable, executing the connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a plurality of spines.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rewiring of one or more of the existing connections comprises a source port to a spine rewiring.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rewiring of one or more of the existing connections comprises a spine to destination port rewiring.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rewiring of one or more of the existing connections comprises 1) a source port to a spine rewiring and 2) a spine to destination port rewiring.

11 . A computing system for identifying a switching path for one or more source ports and destination ports of a crosspoint based switch including a two-tiered spine-and-leaf architecture, the system comprising:
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions; and one or more processors coupled to the storage media, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to:
determine whether a switching path for a potential connection between a source port and a destination port is available, wherein determining whether the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is available comprises:
identifying whether the source port and the destination port are associated with a same leaf, wherein:
when the source port and the destination port are associated with the same leaf, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable without utilizing a spine; and
when the source port and the destination port is not associated with the same leaf, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable by utilizing a spine;

in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is available, execute a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path on the same leaf; and
in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable:
identifying whether one or more free connections are available between 1) a source leaf and a spine and 2) a destination leaf and the spine, wherein:
when the one or more free connections are available, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable without disruption to existing connections; and
when the one or more free connections are unavailable, the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is executable by rewiring one or more of the existing connections, the one or more of the existing connections being rewired so as to minimize disruption to the existing connections.

12 . The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:
in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable, execute a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path based on the one or more free connections.

13 . The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:
in response to determining that the switching path for the potential connection between the source port and the destination port is unavailable, execute a connection between the source port and the destination port utilizing a switching path based on the rewiring of one or more of the existing connections.

14 .

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Dhanabalan Madheswaran
• Behera Deepak

Classifications

• H04L49/1515 Primary

  Non-blocking multistage, e.g. Clos · CPC title

• H04L49/253 Primary

  using establishment or release of connections between ports · CPC title

• H04L45/24

  Multipath · CPC title

• H04L45/28

  using route fault recovery · CPC title

• H04L45/48

  Routing tree calculation · CPC title