IP Library Granted Patent US 10,305,821
Granted Patent B2
US 10,305,821 · App. 15/493,799 · Granted May 28, 2019

Facilitating hot-swappable switch fabric cards

Inventor: Rajib Dutta (Cupertino, CA)
Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
H04L49/40H04L49/10
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,305,821
App. No.
15/493,799
Granted
May 28, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a switching system. The switching system includes a plurality of line cards, each of which includes one or more ports, a processor, one or more switch fabric cards for facilitating switching among the line cards, and a memory storing instructions for facilitating efficient hot-swapping. During operation, the switching system identifies a hot-swapping event of a first switch fabric card based on a data structure indicating the one or more switch fabric cards. The hot-swapping event indicates insertion or removal of the first switch fabric card while the switching system remains in an operational state. The switching system then determines an event type associated with the hot-swapping event and manages the first switch fabric card based on the determined event type.

Claims (33)

1. A switching system, comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of line cards, wherein a respective line card includes one or more ports;

one or more switch fabric cards configured to facilitate switching among the line cards; and

a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the switching system to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying a hot-swapping event of a first switch fabric card based on a data structure indicating the one or more switch fabric cards, wherein the hot-swapping event indicates insertion or removal of the first switch fabric card while the switching system remains in an operational state;

determining an event type associated with the hot-swapping event;

managing the first switch fabric card based on the determined event type; and

in response to the event type indicating the first switch fabric card being inaccessible, the managing the first switch fabric card further includes disabling the first switch fabric card, thereby ensuring that the first switch fabric card does not participate in an internal switching of the switching system, and determining whether the first switch fabric card becomes accessible within a predetermined number of attempts.

2. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to the event type indicating a presence of the first switch fabric card, managing the first switch fabric card comprises programming the first switch fabric card to participate in the internal switching within the switching system.

3. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises precluding the switching system from identifying the hot-swapping event based on an interrupt signal associated with the first switch fabric card.

4. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein the first switch fabric card is a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) card pluggable to a PCIe interface of a PCIe control switch within the switching system.

5. The switching system of claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises updating the data structure based on identifying a respective device coupling the PCIe interface of the PCIe control switch.

6. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein the data structure is provided by an operating system of the switching system.

7. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to determining that the first switch fabric card remains inaccessible within the predetermined number of attempts, the method further comprises removing programming information associated with the first switch fabric card from the switching system.

8. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein, in response to determining that the first switch fabric card has become accessible within the predetermined number of attempts, the method further comprises enabling the first switch fabric card, thereby allowing the first switch fabric card to participate in the switching among the line cards.

9. The switching system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises rearranging the switching among the line cards based on the hot-swapping event of the first switch fabric card.

10. A method for facilitating efficient hot-swapping in a switching system, wherein the switching system comprises:

a plurality of line cards, wherein a respective line card includes one or more ports;

one or more switch fabric cards configured to facilitate switching among the line cards; and

wherein the method comprises:

identifying a hot-swapping event of a first switch fabric card based on a data structure indicating the one or more switch fabric cards, wherein the hot-swapping event indicates insertion or removal of the first switch fabric card while the switching system remains in an operational state;

determining an event type associated with the hot-swapping event;

managing the first switch fabric card based on the determined event type; and

in response to the event type indicating the first switch fabric card being inaccessible, the managing the first switch fabric card further includes disabling the first switch fabric card, thereby ensuring that the first switch fabric card does not participate in an internal switching of the switching system, and determining whether the first switch fabric card becomes accessible within a predetermined number of attempts.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein, in response to the event type indicating a presence of the first switch fabric card, managing the first switch fabric card comprises programming the first switch fabric card to participate in the internal switching within the switching system.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising precluding the switching system from identifying the hot-swapping event based on an interrupt signal associated with the first switch fabric card.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first switch fabric card is a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) card pluggable to a PCIe interface of a PCIe control switch within the switching system.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising updating the data structure based on identifying a respective device coupling the PCIe interface of the PCIe control switch.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data structure is provided by an operating system of the switching system.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein, in response to determining that the first switch fabric card remains inaccessible within the predetermined number of attempts, the method further comprises removing programming information associated with the first switch fabric card from the switch.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein, in response to determining that the first switch fabric card has become accessible within the predetermined number of attempts, the method further comprises enabling the first switch fabric card, thereby allowing the first switch fabric card to participate in the switching among the line cards.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising rearranging the switching among the line cards based on the hot-swapping event of the first switch fabric card.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2018
From: BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS LLC
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 047270/0247 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 13, 2017
From: BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, INC.
To: BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS LLC
Reel/Frame 044891/0536 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2017
From: DUTTA, RAJIB
To: BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 042118/0880 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62340957 · May 24, 2016
Related Publication 20170346766A1 · Nov 30, 2017