Methods, systems and apparatus for the interconnection of fibre channel over ethernet devices using a fibre channel over ethernet interconnection apparatus controller

摘要

Methods, apparatus and systems are provided for forwarding Fiber Channel Initialization Protocol (FIP) and Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frames by a FCoE device interconnection apparatus (FIA) and a Fiber Channel over Ethernet device interconnection apparatus controller (FIAC). In one aspect of the invention, a command is sent from a FIAC to the FIA to set the frame processing apparatus to identify received FIP frames, which are forwarded with the original destination and source Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. A command is sent from the FIAC to the FIA to identify received FCoE frames to replace the source and destination Ethernet MAC addresses. When a FCoE frame is received by the FIA, the source and destination Ethernet MAC addresses are replaced, such as where the destination Ethernet MAC address of the received matched FCoE frame is replaced by the MAC address assigned to the desired end port. The FCoE frame is forwarded to a destination FCoE device.

主权项

1. A method for forwarding Fibre Channel Initialization Protocol (FIP) frames and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) frames utilizing FCoE device interconnection apparatus (FIA) and a Fibre Channel over Ethernet device interconnection apparatus controller (FIAC) from a source FCoE device to a destination FCoE device, the method comprising:
sending a command from the FIAC to the FIA to identify received HP frames and forward the received FIP frames with the original destination and source Ethernet MAC addresses, receiving a FIP frame from the source FCoE device by the FIA, identifying and forwarding the FIP frame based on the original destination source Ethernet MAC address, sending a command from the FIAC to the FIA to identify received FCoE frames, replace the source and destination Ethernet MAC addresses in the received FCoE frames, and forwarding the frames, receiving a FCoE frame from the source FCoE device by the FIA, identifying and replacing the source and destination Ethernet MAC addresses in the received FCoE frame and maintaining the contents of the encapsulated Fibre Channel frame within the received FCoE frame, and forwarding the FCoE frame with replaced source and destination Ethernet MAC addresses to the destination FCoE device.