Relay system and switching device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9762510-B2
Application number	US-201514838497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

When a frame is received at a first port, a MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit generates a MCLAG learning frame containing a source MAC address of the frame and transmits it from a bridge port to a peer device. When the MCLAG learning frame is received and the MCLAG learning frame contains a source MAC address and does not contain a MCLAG identifier, a MCLAG learning frame receiving unit learns a second correspondence relation between a port identifier of the bridge port and the source MAC address to an address table.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A relay system comprising:
a first switching device and a second switching device each having a plurality of ports including a bridge port and a MCLAG port on which an inter-device LAG is set, the first switching device and the second switching device being connected to each other by a communication line via the bridge ports,
wherein the first switching device or the second switching device has a first port on which an inter-device LAG is not set as the plurality of ports,
each of the first switching device and the second switching device includes:
an address table which retains a correspondence relation between a port identifier representing the MCLAG port or a MCLAG identifier associated with the MCLAG port and a MAC address;
a relay processing unit which, when a frame is received at the MCLAG port, relays the frame based on the address table; and
a MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit which, when the frame is received at the MCLAG port, generates a MCLAG learning frame containing a source MAC address of the frame and the MCLAG identifier, and when the frame is received at the first port, generates a MCLAG learning frame containing the source MAC address of the frame, and transmits the generated MCLAG learning frame from the bridge port to a peer device; and
a MCLAG learning frame receiving unit which, when the MCLAG learning frame from a peer device is received at the bridge port and the MCLAG learning frame contains the MCLAG identifier and the source MAC address, learns a first correspondence relation between the MCLAG identifier and the source MAC address to the address table, and when the MCLAG learning frame contains the source MAC address and does not contain the MCLAG identifier, learns a second correspondence relation between a port identifier of the bridge port and the source MAC address to the address table.

2. The relay system according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first switching device and the second switching device includes:
a plurality of line cards each having any of the plurality of ports, the address table and the relay processing unit; and
a communication line which relays the frame between the plurality of line cards,
the line card having the bridge port includes:
the MCLAG learning frame receiving unit; and
a LC learning frame transmitting unit which wherein, when the MCLAG learning frame from the peer device is received at the bridge port, generates a LC learning frame containing the first correspondence relation or the second correspondence relation at the MCLAG learning frame receiving unit, and transmits the generated LC learning frame to the other line cards except its own line card, and
the other line cards each include a LC learning frame receiving unit which, when the LC learning frame is received, learns the first correspondence relation or the second correspondence relation contained in the LC learning frame to the address table.

3. The relay system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the LC learning frame transmitting unit, the LC learning frame receiving unit and the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit are provided in each of the plurality of line cards,
when the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit has received the frame at a port of its own line card and the frame is not the MCLAG learning frame, the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit generates and transmits the generated MCLAG learning frame,
when the LC learning frame transmitting unit has received the frame at a port of its own line card and the frame is not the MCLAG learning frame, the LC learning frame transmitting unit generates a LC learning frame containing a third correspondence relation between the source MAC address of the frame and the port identifier of the port which has received the frame or the MCLAG identifier associated with the port which has received the frame, and transmits the generated LC learning frame to the other line cards except its own line card, and
when the LC learning frame receiving unit has received the LC learning frame, it learns the third correspondence relation contained in the LC learning frame to the address table.

4. The relay system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the frame is received at the MCLAG port or the first port and a destination port of the frame is not the bridge port, the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit generates and transmits the MCLAG learning frame.

5. The relay system according to claim 4 ,
wherein, when both of a port which has received the frame and a destination port of the frame are not the MCLAG port, the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit does not generate the MCLAG learning frame.

6. The relay system according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when both of a port which has received the frame and a destination port of the frame are not the MCLAG port, the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit does not generate the MCLAG learning frame.

7. A switching device having a plurality of ports including a bridge port, a MCLAG port on which an inter-device LAG is set and a first port on which an inter-device LAG is not set, the bridge port being connected to a bridge port of a different switching device, the switching device comprising:
an address table which retains a correspondence relation between a port identifier representing the port or a MCLAG identifier associated with the MCLAG port and a MAC address;
a relay processing unit which, when a frame is received at the port, relays the frame based on the address table; and
a MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit which, when the frame is received at the MCLAG port, generates a MCLAG learning frame containing a source MAC address of the frame and the MCLAG identifier and when the frame is received at the first port, generates a MCLAG learning frame containing the source MAC address of the frame, and transmits the generated MCLAG learning frame from the bridge port to the different switching device; and
a MCLAG learning frame receiving unit which, when the MCLAG learning frame from the different switching device is received at the bridge port and the MCLAG learning frame contains the MCLAG identifier and the source MAC address, learns a first correspondence relation between the MCLAG identifier and the source MAC address to the address table, and when the MCLAG learning frame contains the source MAC address and does not contain the MCLAG identifier, learns a second correspondence relation between a port identifier of the bridge port and the source MAC address to the address table.

8. The switching device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a plurality of line cards each having any of the plurality of ports, the address table and the relay processing unit; and
a communication line which relays the frame between the plurality of line cards,
wherein the line card having the bridge port includes:
the MCLAG learning frame receiving unit; and
a LC learning frame transmitting unit which, when the MCLAG learning frame from the different switching device is received at the bridge port, generates a LC learning frame containing the first correspondence relation or the second correspondence relation at the MCLAG learning frame receiving unit, and transmits the generated LC learning frame to the other line cards except its own line card, and
the other line cards each include a LC learning frame receiving unit which, when the LC learning frame is received, learns the first correspondence relation or the second correspondence relation contained in the LC learning frame to the address table.

9. The switching device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the LC learning frame transmitting unit, the LC learning frame receiving unit and the MCLAG learning frame transmitting unit are provide

Assignees

• Hitachi Metals Ltd

Inventors

• Yasuda Makoto

Classifications

• H04L49/25

  Routing or path finding in a switch fabric · CPC title

• H04L12/4625 Primary

  Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge · CPC title

• H04L49/60 Primary

  Software-defined switches · CPC title

• H04L12/467

  Arrangements for supporting untagged frames, e.g. port-based VLANs · CPC title

• H04L2101/622

  Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses · CPC title