Merging a stand-alone switch to a fibre channel network

摘要

A Fiber Channel (FC) switch and related methods are provided for merging the FC switch with an existing FC network. During a merge process of a stand-alone switch with an FC network, a first Exchange Fabric Parameters (EFP) frame is sent from the stand-alone switch to an FC switch in the existing FC network. The first EFP frame has an empty domain identifier (ID) list. The stand-alone switch receives a second EFP frame from the FC switch. The second EFP frame contains a domain ID list of domain IDs already in use in the FC network. The stand-alone switch compares the domain ID list in the second EFP frame with a stored list of one or more domain IDs associated with the stand-alone switch to determine if there is a domain ID overlap or conflict. If no conflict is detected, the stand-alone switch merges with the existing network without initiating a Build Fabric phase or a Principal Switch Selection phase that could cause disruption of traffic in the network.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
during an instantaneous merge process of a stand-alone switch with a Fibre Channel (FC) network, sending a first Exchange Fabric Parameters (EFP) frame from the stand-alone switch to an FC switch in the FC network, wherein the first EFP frame has an empty domain identifier (ID) list; receiving, at the stand-alone switch, a second EFP frame from the FC switch, the second EFP frame containing a domain ID list of domain IDs already in use in the FC network; and comparing the domain ID list in the second EFP frame with a stored domain ID list of one or more domain IDs associated with the stand-alone switch to determine if there is a conflict between the domain ID list stored in the stand-alone switch and the domain ID list in the second EFP frame, wherein the stored domain ID list of one or more domain IDs associated with the stand-alone switch is not sent to the FC switch in the FC network, and wherein the instantaneous merge process does not include a Build Fabric Phase and a Principal Switch Selection Phase.