Abstract:
A universal network interface controller (UNIC) is provided for interfacing a host computer to a switch fabric, a packet network, or both. The UNIC includes ingress transmit logic designed to transmit switch fabric data in memory associated with the host computer to a switch fabric. The UNIC further includes egress receive logic designed to receive switch fabric data from the switch fabric to store the received switch fabric data in the host memory associated with the host computer. As an option, the ingress transmit logic may be further designed to transmit packet network data in memory associated with the host computer to a packet network, such as Ethernet, and the egress receive logic may be further designed to receive the packet network data from the packet network and to store the received switch fabric data and the received packet network data in the host memory associated with the host computer.
Abstract:
A port number is stored in a memory in association with one or more addresses using a data block by which at least one port number associated with a predetermined number of consecutive addresses is written into the memory. Further, a first port number assigned to output ports each being provided for different one of a plurality of relay nodes is stored in association with first consecutive addresses in such a manner that one or more data blocks including the first port number associated with the first consecutive addresses are written into the memory.
Abstract:
A system and method can provide a data service in a network environment. A subnet administrator can receive a path record resolution request from a source node, wherein the source node uses the path record resolution request to obtain an address of a destination node. Furthermore, the subnet administrator can provide an address of an intermediate node to the source node, wherein the intermediate node provides the data service. Then, the source node can send one or more data packets in a data flow to the intermediate node based on the address of the intermediate node.
Abstract:
A system and method can support multi-homed routing in a network environment, which can be based on InfiniBand architecture using a fat-tree or a similar topology. The system can provide an end node that is associated with a switch port on a leaf switch in a network fabric. Then, the system can perform routing for each of a plurality of ports on the end node, and ensure that the plurality of ports on the end node take mutually independent paths.
Abstract:
A communication method in a network operating in accordance with a standard that allocates a given number of bits m for layer-2 addressing of nodes in the network. The method includes accepting at a layer-2 switch in the network an assignment to one or more nodes in the network of respective layer-2 extended addresses, each including n=m+k bits, k>0. A given data packet is received at the switch for forwarding. The given data packet includes a layer-2 destination address and a layer-3 destination address in accordance with the standard. The layer-3 destination address includes t bits, t≧k. The given data packet is forwarded from the switch to one of the nodes by reading from the given data packet and combining the layer-2 destination address and k bits from the layer-3 destination address so as to reconstruct the n bits of the extended layer-2 address of the one of the nodes.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for paravirtualized Internet Protocol over Infiniband (IPoIB) bridging for virtual machines. An example method may comprise associating, by a hypervisor executing on a host computer system, an Infiniband (IB) interface of the host computer system with a paravirtualized IPoIB interface of a virtual machine executing on the host computer system; receiving, via the paravirtualized IPoIB interface, a paravirtualized IPoIB packet originated by the virtual machine, the paravirtualized IPoIB packet comprising an IP packet and a first header including an IPoIB hardware address; translating the paravirtualized IPoIB packet into an IPoIB frame comprising the IP packet and a second header including the IPoIB hardware address; and forwarding the IPoIB frame via the IB interface to one of: an IB switch, an external IB node.
Abstract:
A distributed virtual chassis comprises scaled-out fabric coupler (SFC) boxes. Each SFC box has fabric ports and a cell-based switch fabric for switching cells associated with a packet among the SFC fabric ports of that SFC box. Distributed line cards (DLCs) include switching DLCs and an appliance DLC (A-DLC). Each switching DLC has network ports. Each switching DLC and A-DLC has DLC fabric ports. Each switching DLC and A-DLC is connected to each of the SFC boxes. The A-DLC provides an upper layer service for packets arriving on the network ports of the switching DLCs. To forward a packet to the A-DLC, a switching DLC divides the packet into cells and distributes the cells among the SFC boxes. The SFC boxes forward the cells to the A-DLC, and the A-DLC reassembles the packet from the cells and provides the upper layer service to the packet.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus are described to provide shared switch and cache memory. The apparatus may comprise a message switch module, a cache controller module, and shared switch and cache memory to provide shared memory to the message switch module and to the cache controller module. The cache controller module may comprise pointer memory to store a plurality of pointers, each pointer pointing to a location in the shared switch and cache memory (e.g., point to a message header partition in the shared switch and cache memory). If there is a corresponding pointer, a memory read response may be sent to the requesting agent. If there is no corresponding pointer, a write data request may be sent to a corresponding destination agent and, in response to receiving the requested data, a pointer to the stored data in the pointer memory may be provided.
Abstract:
A system and method can support master negotiation in a network environment. A subnet manager (SM) can perform subnet discovery on a subnet in the network environment via a subnet manager (SM) in the subnet, wherein the subnet includes a plurality of SMs. Furthermore, the SM can communicate with the other SMs in the subnet to check for a number of known secret keys, and select a SM from the plurality of SMs as a master SM, wherein the master SM has the highest number of known keys.
Abstract:
A system and method can support subnet management in a network environment. A network switch in the network environment can provide a transactional interface, wherein the transactional interface allows a user to interact with the network environment using a transaction. The transactional interface allows a user to group one or more operations in the transaction, and ensures that no conflicting operations are included in the transaction.