Method, apparatus, and system for implementing node port virtualization on fibre channel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9729470-B2
Application number	US-201514827006-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2013
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for implementing node port virtualization on a fiber channel in the field of communication technologies are provided. Multiple different virtual Node Port (N_port) identifications (IDs) are allocated to each of multiple N_ports, of an N_port virtualization (NPV) switch, corresponding to an N_port ID of a remote node. Because a virtual N_port ID is allocated, to each remote node, for more than one N_port of the NPV switch, regardless of which N_port of these N_ports a node connected to the NPV switch is registered for, the node can obtain the virtual N_port ID that is of each remote node and that is corresponding to the N_port. Therefore, any node connected to the NPV switch can communicate with any remote node, thereby improving communication efficiency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for implementing node port virtualization on a fibre channel, wherein a node port (N_port) virtualization (NPV) switch is coupled to a fibre channel switched fabric using at least two N_ports, and wherein the method comprises:
receiving, by the NPV switch, a first registered state change notification using an N_port of the at least two N_ports, wherein the first registered state change notification carries a first N_port identifier;
allocating, by the NPV switch to the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric, at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier, wherein the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier are different, and wherein there is a bijection relationship between the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier and the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric;
sending, by the NPV switch, a second registered state change notification using a fabric port (F_port) of the NPV switch, wherein the second registered state change notification carries one of the at least two second N_port identifiers;
receiving, by the NPV switch, a fibre channel packet using the F_port of the NPV switch, wherein a destination fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet is one of the at least two second N_port identifiers;
replacing, by the NPV switch, the destination fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet with the first N_port identifier corresponding to the at least two second N_port identifiers; and
sending, by the NPV switch, the fibre channel packet using one N_port of the at least two N_ports corresponding to the destination fibre channel identifier.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the NPV switch, a fibre channel packet using one N_port of the at least two N_ports, wherein a source fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet is the first N_port identifier;
replacing, by the NPV switch, the source fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet with one of the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier and the N_port that receives the fibre channel packet; and
sending, by the NPV switch, the fibre channel packet.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before receiving, by the NPV switch, the first registered state change notification using any one of the at least two N_ports, the method further comprises:
receiving, by the NPV switch, a first fabric login request using the F_port of the NPV switch, wherein the first fabric login request comprises a first world wide port name;
sending, by the NPV switch, a second fabric discovery request using one N_port of the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric, wherein the second fabric discovery request comprises the first world wide port name; and
receiving, by the NPV switch, a second fabric discovery response using the N_port that sends the second fabric discovery request, wherein the second fabric discovery response comprises a third N_port identifier corresponding to the first world wide port name.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before receiving, by the NPV switch, the first registered state change notification using any one of the at least two N_ports, the method further comprises:
receiving, by the NPV switch, a first fabric discovery request using the F_port of the NPV switch, wherein the first fabric discovery request comprises a first world wide port name;
sending, by the NPV switch, a second fabric discovery request using one N_port of the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric, wherein the second fabric discovery request comprises the first world wide port name; and
receiving, by the NPV switch, a second fabric discovery response using the N_port that sends the second fabric discovery request, wherein the second fabric discovery response comprises a third N_port identifier corresponding to the first world wide port name.

5. A node port (N_port) virtualization (NPV) switch, wherein the NPV switch comprises:
at least two N_ports, wherein the at least two N_ports are configured to couple to a fibre channel switched fabric;
a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to the at least two N_ports;
a fabric port (F_port), wherein the F_port is coupled to the processor; and
a memory, wherein the memory is coupled to the processor, and wherein the processor executes the following steps according to a program instruction stored by the memory:
receiving a first registered state change notification using an N_port of the at least two N_ports, wherein the first registered state change notification carries a first N_port identifier;
allocating, to the at least two N_ports, at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier, wherein the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier are different, and wherein there is a bijection relationship between the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier and the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric; and
sending a second registered state change notification using the F_port,

wherein the second registered state change notification carries one of the at least two second N_port identifiers,
wherein the NPV switch further comprises a forwarder coupled to the processor, and
wherein the forwarder is configured to:
receive a fibre channel packet using the F_port of the NPV switch, wherein a destination fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet is one of the at least two second N_port identifiers;
replace the destination fibre c f the fibre channel packet with the first N_port identifier corresponding to the at least two second N_port identifiers; and
send the fibre channel packet using one N_port of the at least two N_ports corresponding to the destination fibre channel identifier.

6. The NPV switch according to claim 5 , wherein the forwarder is further configured to:
receive a fibre channel packet using one N_port of the at least two N_ports, wherein a source fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet is the first N_port identifier;
replace the source fibre channel identifier of the fibre channel packet with a second N_port identifier of the at least two second N_port identifiers corresponding to the first N_port identifier and the N_port that receives the fibre channel packet; and
send the fibre channel packet.

7. The NPV switch according to claim 5 , wherein before executing, according to the program instruction stored by the memory, the step of receiving the first registered state change notification using any one of the at least two N_ports, the processor further executes the following steps:
receiving a first fabric login request using the F_port, wherein the first fabric login request comprises a first world wide port name;
sending a second fabric discovery request using one N_port of the at least two N_ports coupled to the fibre channel switched fabric, wherein the second fabric discovery request comprises the first world wide port name; and
receiving a second fabric discovery response using the N_port that sends the second fabric discovery request, wherein the second fabric discovery response comprises a third N_port identifier corresponding to the first world wide port name.

8. The NPV switch according to claim 5 , wherein before executing, according to the program instruction stored by the memory, the step of receiving the first registered state change notification using any one of the at least t

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zheng Ming
• Jiang Xingfeng
• Song Wei
• Yu Yongjun

Classifications

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L49/357

  Fibre channel switches · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L61/2596

  Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses · CPC title

• H04L61/6045

  Electricity · mapped topic