Automatic fabric provisioning system
An automatic fabric provisioning system includes first uplink switch device(s) associated with a first fabric, and second uplink switch device(s) associated with a second fabric. A gateway device is coupled to each of the first and second uplink switch device(s), and transmits a respective fabric login communication to each of the first uplink switch device(s) via at least one first uplink, and to each of the second uplink switch device(s) via at least one second uplink. When the gateway device receives respective first fabric login accept communication(s) from each of the uplink switch device(s) via the at least one uplink to that uplink switch device that identifies the fabric associated with that uplink switch device, it automatically associates each at least one first uplink with the first fabric, and each at least one second uplink with the second fabric.
1. An automatic fabric provisioning system, comprising:
at least one first uplink switch device that is associated with a first fabric;
at least one second uplink switch device that is associated with a second fabric; and
a gateway device that is coupled to each of the at least one first uplink switch device and the at least one second uplink switch device, wherein the gateway device is configured, automatically and without user intervention, to:
transmit, to each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via a plurality of first uplinks and to each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via a plurality of second uplinks, a respective fabric login communication;
receive, from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality first uplinks, a respective first fabric login accept communication that identifies the first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device and, in response, automatically associate each one of the plurality of first uplinks with the first fabric via a first virtual fabric created at the gateway device; and
receive, from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality second uplinks, a second respective fabric login accept communication that identifies the second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device and, in response, automatically associate each one of the plurality of second uplinks with the second fabric via a second virtual fabric created at the gateway device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway device is configured to:
receive, from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality first uplinks, respective first zone information and, in response, automatically associate the respective first zone information with the first fabric via the first virtual fabric; and
receive, from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality second uplinks, respective second zone information and, in response, automatically associate the respective second zone information with the second fabric via the second virtual fabric.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the respective first zone information identifies a first end device and a first target device that belong to a first zone, and wherein the automatically associating the respective first zone information with the first fabric includes automatically associating the first end device and the first target device with the first virtual fabric.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the gateway device is configured to:
automatically log in, via the plurality first uplinks and based on the first zone information associated with the first virtual fabric, at least one first end device to the first fabric; and
automatically log in, via the plurality second uplinks and based on the second zone information associated with the second virtual fabric, at least one second end device to the second fabric.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the automatically logging in the at least one first end device to the first fabric includes transmitting a first proxied login communication via one of the plurality first uplinks, and wherein the automatically logging in the at least one second end device to the second fabric includes transmitting a second proxied login communication via one of the plurality of second uplinks.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each first fabric login accept communication identifies the first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device using a first fabric World Wide Name (WWN) to create the first virtual fabric, and wherein each second fabric login accept communication identifies the second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device using a second fabric WWN to create the second virtual fabric.
7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:
a processing system; 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 an automatic fabric provisioning engine that is configured, automatically and without user intervention, to:
transmit, to each of at least one first uplink switch device via a plurality of first uplinks and to each of at least one second uplink switch device via a plurality of second uplinks, a respective fabric login communication;
receive, from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality of first uplinks, a respective first fabric login accept communication that identifies a first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device and, in response, automatically associate each one of the plurality of first uplinks with the first fabric via a creation of a first virtual fabric; and
receive, from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality of second uplinks, a second respective fabric login accept communication that identifies a second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device and, in response, automatically associate each one of the plurality of second uplinks with the second fabric via a creation of a second virtual fabric.
8. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the automatic fabric provisioning engine is configured to:
receive, from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality of first uplinks, respective first zone information and, in response, automatically associate the respective first zone information with the first fabric via the first virtual fabric; and
receive, from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality of at least one second uplinks, respective second zone information and, in response, automatically associate the respective second zone information with the second fabric via the second virtual fabric.
9. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the respective first zone information identifies a first end device and a first target device that belong to a first zone, and wherein the automatically associating the respective first zone information with the first fabric includes automatically associating the first end device and the first target device with the first virtual fabric.
10. The IHS of claim 8 , wherein the automatic fabric provisioning engine is configured to:
automatically log in, via the plurality first uplinks and based on the first zone information associated with the first fabric, at least one first end device to the first virtual fabric; and
automatically log in, via the plurality second uplinks and based on the second zone information associated with the second fabric, at least one second end device to the second virtual fabric.
11. The IHS of claim 10 , wherein the automatically logging in the at least one first end device to the first fabric includes transmitting a first proxied login communication via one of the plurality first uplinks, and wherein the automatically logging in the at least one second end device to the second fabric includes transmitting a second proxied login communication via one of the plurality of second uplinks.
12. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein each first fabric login accept communication identifies the first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device using a first fabric World Wide Name (WWN) to create the first virtual fabric, and wherein each second fabric login accept communication identifies the second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device using a second fabric WWN to create that second virtual fabric.
13. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein each one of the plurality of first uplinks and each one of the plurality of second uplinks is provided by a respective uplink proxy N_port.
14. A method for automatically provisioning fabrics, comprising:
transmitting, by a gateway device to each of at least one first uplink switch device via a plurality of first uplinks and to each of at least one second uplink switch device via a plurality of second uplinks, a respective fabric login communication automatically and without user intervention;
receiving, by the gateway device automatically and without user intervention and from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality of first uplinks, a respective first fabric login accept communication that identifies a first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device and, in response, associating each one of the plurality of first uplinks with the first fabric via a first virtual fabric created at the gateway device automatically and without user intervention; and
receiving, by the gateway device automatically and without user intervention and from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality of second uplinks, a second respective fabric login accept communication that identifies a second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device and, in response, associating each one of the plurality of second uplinks with the second fabric via a first virtual fabric created at the gateway device automatically and without user intervention.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving, by the gateway device automatically and without user intervention and from each of the at least one first uplink switch devices via the plurality of first uplinks, respective first zone information and, in response, associating the respective first zone information with the first fabric via the first virtual fabric automatically and without user intervention; and
receiving, by the gateway device automatically and without user intervention and from each of the at least one second uplink switch devices via the plurality of second uplinks, respective second zone information and, in response, associating the respective second zone information with the second fabric via the second virtual fabric automatically and without user intervention.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the respective first zone information identifies a first end device and a first target device that belong to a first zone, and wherein the automatically associating the respective first zone information with the first fabric includes automatically associating the first end device and the first target device with the first virtual fabric.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
automatically logging in, by the gateway device via the plurality of first uplinks and based on the first zone information associated with the first fabric, at least one first end device to the first virtual fabric automatically and without user intervention; and
automatically logging in, by the gateway device via the plurality of second uplinks and based on the second zone information associated with the second fabric, at least one second end device to the second virtual fabric automatically and without user intervention.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the automatically logging in the at least one first end device to the first fabric automatically and without user intervention includes transmitting a first proxied login communication via one of the plurality of first uplinks, and wherein the automatically logging in the at least one second end device to the second fabric automatically and without user intervention includes transmitting a second proxied login communication via one of the plurality of second uplinks.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein each first fabric login accept communication identifies the first fabric associated with that first uplink switch device using a first fabric World Wide Name (WWN) to create the first virtual fabric, and wherein each second fabric login accept communication identifies the second fabric associated with that second uplink switch device via a second fabric WWN to create the second virtual fabric.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein each one of the plurality of first uplinks and each one of the plurality of second uplinks is provided by a respective uplink proxy N_port.