IP Library Granted Patent US 11,095,476
Granted Patent B2
US 11,095,476 · App. 16/440,766 · Granted Aug 17, 2021

Spanning tree protocol enabled n-node link aggregation system

Inventors: Saye Balasubramaniam Subramanian (Tamil Nadu, IN); Ravisekhar Akkineni (Telangana, IN)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
H04L12/462H04L12/4625H04L41/30H04L45/22H04L45/245H04L45/28H04L45/48H04L69/12H04L41/0893
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,095,476
App. No.
16/440,766
Granted
Aug 17, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A STP n-node VLT system includes a first VLT device with a first virtual port, and a second VLT device with a LAG port, a non-LAG port, and a second virtual port coupled to the first virtual port. A STP engine designates the first VLT device as a root bridge and, in response, designates the first virtual port a designated port and the second virtual port a root port. The STP engine then designates a networking device coupled to the LAG port as the root bridge based on it having a higher priority than the first VLT device. Then STP engine then determines that a non-LAG link between the networking device and the second VLT device has caused the redesignation of the second virtual port as an alternate port and the non-LAG port as a root port, and swaps the designations of the second virtual port and the non-LAG port.

Claims (47)

1. A spanning tree enabled n-node link aggregation system, comprising:

a first node device that is designated as a root bridge and that includes a first virtual port that is designated as a designated port;

a second node device that includes an aggregated port, a non-aggregated port, and a second virtual port that is coupled to the first virtual port and that is designated as a root port; and

a spanning tree protocol engine running on the each of the first node device and the second node device, wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

determine that a networking device that is coupled to the aggregated port has a higher priority than the first node device and, in response, designate the networking device as the root bridge; and

determine that a non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and the second node device has caused the second virtual port to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port and, in response, redesignate the second virtual port as a root port and redesignate the non-aggregated port as an alternate port.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

designate the aggregated port on the second node device as a root port in response to designating the networking device as the root bridge.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

determine that a virtual port link between the first virtual port and the second virtual port has become unavailable and has caused the second virtual port to be redesignated as a designated port and the non-aggregated port to be redesignated as a root port and, in response, block the aggregated port.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first node device is configured to control the second node device while the virtual port link is unavailable via a backup link to a third node device that is connected to the second node device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

create a control plane group that includes the first node device and the second node device; and

publish a control message to the control plane group such that each of the first node device and the second node device receives a copy of the control message.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first node device is a primary node device, the second node device is a secondary node device, and the first node device is configured to control the designation of the aggregated port on the second node device.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and the second node device has caused the second virtual port to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port includes:

determining that a State Event Machine (SEM) is attempting to assign an alternate role for the second virtual port and a root role for the non-aggregated port.

8. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a communication subsystem that provides an aggregated port, a non-aggregated port, and a first virtual port that is designated as a root port and that is coupled to a second virtual port included on a node device that is designated as a root bridge;

a processing system that is coupled to the communication subsystem, and

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a spanning tree protocol engine that is configured to:

determine that a networking device that is coupled to the aggregated port has a higher priority than the node device and has been designated as the root bridge; and

determine that a non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and the non-aggregated port has caused the first virtual port to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port and, in response, redesignate the first virtual port as a root port and redesignate the non-aggregated port as an alternate port.

9. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

designate the aggregated port as a root port in response to the networking device being designated as the root bridge.

10. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

determine that a virtual port link between the first virtual port and the second virtual port has become unavailable and has caused the first virtual port to be redesignated as a designated port and the non-aggregated port to be redesignated as a root port and, in response, block the aggregated port.

11. The IHS of claim 10 , wherein the spanning tree protocol engine is configured to:

create a control plane group that includes the node device; and

publish a control message to the control plane group such that the node device receives a copy of the control message.

12. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the node device is a primary node device and is configured to control the designation of the aggregated port on the communication subsystem.

13. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the determining that the non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and the non-aggregated port has caused the first virtual port to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port includes:

determining that a State Event Machine (SEM) is attempting to assign an alternate role for the first virtual port and a root role for the non-aggregated port.

14. A method for enabling spanning tree protocol in an n-node link aggregation system, comprising:

determining, by a spanning tree protocol engine, that a networking device that is coupled to an aggregated port on a second node device has a higher priority than a first node device that is currently designated as a root bridge and that includes a first virtual port that is designated as a designated port and coupled to a second virtual port on the second node device that is designated as a root port and, in response, designating the networking device as the root bridge; and

determining, by the spanning tree protocol engine, that a non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and a non-aggregated port on the second node device has caused the second virtual port on the second node device to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port and, in response, redesignating the second virtual port as a root port and redesignating the non-aggregated port as an alternate port.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

designating, by the spanning tree protocol engine, the aggregated port on the second node device as a root port in response to designating the networking device as the root bridge.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining, by the spanning tree protocol engine, that a virtual port link between the first virtual port and the second virtual port has become unavailable and caused the second virtual port to be redesignated as a designated port and the non-aggregated port to be redesignated as a root port and, in response, blocking the aggregated port.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first node device is configured to control the second node device while the virtual port link is unavailable via a backup link to a third node device that is connected to the second node device.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

creating, by the spanning tree protocol engine, a control plane group that includes the first node device and the second node device; and

publishing, by the spanning tree protocol engine, a control message to the control plane group such that each of the first node device and the second node device receives a copy of the control message.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first node device is a primary node device, the second node device is a secondary node device, and the first node device is configured to control the designation of the aggregated port on the second node device.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determining that the non-aggregated link provided between the networking device and the second node device has caused the second virtual port to be redesignated as an alternate port and the non-aggregated port to be designated as a root port includes:

determining that a State Event Machine (SEM) is attempting to assign an alternate role for the second virtual port and a root role for the non-aggregated port.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (050724/0571) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060436/0088 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 050406 FRAME 421 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058213/0825 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 17, 2020
From: SUBRAMANIAN, SAYE BALASUBRAMANIAM; AKKINENI, RAVISEKHAR
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 054681/0897 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Oct 15, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050724/0571 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 17, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 050406/0421 →