Fibre channel over Ethernet
View Patent ↗The use of Ethernet as an underlying transport for Fiber Channel (FC) frames is disclosed in the Fiber Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) protocol. In FCOE, the FC physical layer and part of the FC-2 link layer are replaced with the Ethernet physical and link layers. Each FC frame is encapsulated within an Ethernet Frame. The payload of the FCOE frame contains type information from the FC Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator, the FC header, an optional FC payload, and type information from the FC End Of Frame (EOF) indicator. In one embodiment, an Ethernet network carrying FCOE replaces a standard FC network. In another embodiment, devices implementing FCOE may be implemented in a blade server. The entire backplane is Ethernet, over which both storage and networking traffic can be run. The Ethernet links are connected to an Ethernet switch, a FCOE/FC converter, and a FC switch.
1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) frame data structure for encapsulating a Fibre Channel (FC) frame within an Ethernet frame, the FCOE frame data structure comprising:
an Ethernet frame data structure comprising:
a FCOE Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator according to a FC SOF indicator in the FC frame;
a FCOE End Of Frame (EOF) indicator according to a EOF indicator in the FC frame;
an Ethernet payload within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet payload containing type information extracted from a FC Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator, a FC header, and type information extracted from a FC End Of Frame (EOF) indicator, wherein the FC SOF and EOF indicators are of different types, each type represented by the type information extracted from the FC SOF and EOF indicators; and
an Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) header within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet MAC header comprising:
an Ethernet MAC destination address translated from a FC destination address using an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP),
an Ethernet MAC source address translated from a FC source address using the ARP, and
an Ethertype value indicating that the Ethernet frame is a FCOE frame.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 1 , the FCOE frame data structure further comprising a FC Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field contained within the Ethernet payload.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 1 , the FCOE frame data structure further comprising a 2112 byte FC payload contained within the Ethernet payload to form a jumbo FCOE frame data structure.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 1 , the computer-readable medium contained within an Ethernet network, the Ethernet network comprising:
a plurality of FCOE devices, each FCOE device including the computer-readable medium for implementing a FCOE protocol utilizing the FCOE frame data structure; and
a FCOE switch coupled to each of the plurality of FCOE devices, the FCOE switch for switching FCOE frames formatted according to the FCOE frame data structure between the plurality of FCOE devices, and for performing FC fabric services.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE switch are compatible with IEEE 802.3.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 1 , the computer-readable storage medium contained within a blade server, the blade server comprising:
a plurality of FCOE devices, each FCOE device including the computer-readable storage medium for implementing a FCOE protocol utilizing the FCOE frame data structure;
a FCOE to FC converter for converting between FCOE frames formatted according to the FCOE frame data structures and FC frames;
an Ethernet switch coupled to each of the plurality of FCOE devices over an Ethernet backplane and coupled to the FCOE to FC converter, the Ethernet switch for switching FCOE frames between the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE to FC converter; and
a FC switch coupled to the FCOE to FC converter for switching FCOE frames to FC devices over a FC fabric, and for performing FC fabric services.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE to FC converter are compatible with IEEE 802.3.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 6 ,
wherein each of the plurality of FCOE devices includes one or more processors and firmware for implementing the FCOE protocol; and
wherein the Ethernet switch, the FCOE to FC converter, and the FC switch are implemented by one or more processors, firmware, switch logic and hardware for performing router and switch functions on FC and Ethernet networks.
9. A method of encapsulating a Fibre Channel (FC) frame within an Ethernet frame to generate a Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) frame, the method comprising:
encapsulating a FC payload of the FC frame and information extracted from a FC Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator, a FC header, and type information extracted from a FC End Of Frame (EOF) indicator within an Ethernet payload of the Ethernet frame, wherein the FC SOF and EOF indicators are of different types, each type represented by the type information extracted from the FC SOF and EOF indicators;
adding a FCOE Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator according to a FC SOF indicator in the FC frame;
adding a FCOE End Of Frame (EOF) indicator according to a EOF indicator in the FC frame;
translating a FC destination address to an Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) destination address using an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP);
translating a FC source address to an Ethernet MAC source address using the ARP; defining an Ethertype value indicating that the Ethernet frame is a FCOE frame; and
storing the Ethernet MAC destination address, the Ethernet MAC source address, and the Ethertype value into an Ethernet MAC header within the Ethernet frame.
10. The method as recited in claim 9 , further comprising encapsulating a FC Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field within the Ethernet payload.
11. The method as recited in claim 9 , further comprising encapsulating a 1476 byte FC payload within the Ethernet payload.
12. The method as recited in claim 9 , further comprising encapsulating a 2112 byte FC payload within the Ethernet payload to form a jumbo FCOE frame data structure.
13. A Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) blade server, the FCOE blade server comprising:
a plurality of FCOE devices, each FCOE device for implementing a FCOE protocol utilizing FCOE frames;
a FCOE to Fibre Channel (FC) converter for converting between FCOE frames and FC frames;
an Ethernet switch coupled to each of the plurality of FCOE devices over an Ethernet backplane and coupled to the FCOE to FC converter, the Ethernet switch for switching FCOE frames between the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE to FC converter; and
a FC switch coupled to the FCOE to FC converter for switching FCOE frames to FC devices over a FC fabric, and for performing FC fabric services;
wherein each of the FCOE frames comprises:
a FCOE Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator according to a FC SOF indicator in the FC frame;
a FCOE End Of Frame (EOF) indicator according to a EOF indicator in the FC frame;
an Ethernet payload within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet payload containing type information extracted from a FC Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator, a FC header, and type information extracted from a FC End Of Frame (EOF) indicator, wherein the FC SOF and EOF indicators are of different types, each type represented by the type information extracted from the FC SOF and EOF indicators; and
an Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) header within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet MAC header comprising:
an Ethernet MAC destination address translated from a FC destination address using an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP),
an Ethernet MAC source address translated from a FC source address using the ARP, and an Ethertype value indicating that the Ethernet frame is a FCOE frame.
14. The FCOE blade server as recited in claim 13 , the Ethernet MAC header within the FCOE frame further comprising a FC Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field.
15. The FCOE blade server as recited in claim 13 , the Ethernet payload within the FCOE frame further comprising a 1476 byte FC payload.
16. The FCOE blade server as recited in claim 13 , the Ethernet payload within the FCOE frame further comprising a 2112 byte FC payload contained within the Ethernet payload to form a jumbo FCOE frame.
17. The FCOE blade as recited in claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE to FC converter are compatible with IEEE 802.3.
18. A Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) network, the FCOE network comprising:
a plurality of FCOE devices, each FCOE device for implementing a FCOE protocol utilizing FCOE frames; and
a FCOE switch coupled to each of the plurality of FCOE devices, the FCOE switch for switching FCOE frames between the plurality of FCOE devices, and for performing FC fabric services;
wherein each of the FCOE frames comprises:
a FCOE Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator according to a FC SOF indicator in the FC frame;
a FCOE End Of Frame (EOF) indicator according to a EOF indicator in the FC frame;
an Ethernet payload within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet payload containing type information extracted from a FC Start Of Frame (SOF) indicator, a FC header, and type information extracted from a FC End Of Frame (EOF) indicator, wherein the FC SOF and EOF indicators are of different types, each type represented by the type information extracted from the FC SOF and EOF indicators; and
an Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) header within the Ethernet frame data structure, the Ethernet MAC header containing comprising:
an Ethernet MAC destination address translated from a FC destination address using an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP),
an Ethernet MAC source address translated from a FC source address using the ARP, and an Ethertype value indicating that the Ethernet frame is a FCOE frame.
19. The FCOE network as recited in claim 18 , the Ethernet payload within the FCOE frame further comprising a FC Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field.
20. The FCOE network as recited in claim 18 , the Ethernet payload within the FCOE frame further comprising a 1476 byte FC payload.
21. The FCOE network as recited in claim 18 , the Ethernet payload within the FCOE frame further comprising a 2112 byte FC payload contained within the Ethernet payload to form a jumbo FCOE frame.
22. The FCOE network as recited in claim 18 , wherein each of the plurality of FCOE devices and the FCOE switch are compatible with IEEE 802.3.
23. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 1 , the FCOE frame data structure further comprising a 1476 byte FC payload contained within the Ethernet payload.