Direct mode adapter based shortcut for FCoE data transfer

1. A method of establishing a virtual link for transferring Fibre Channel (FC) messages over a switched Ethernet network, comprising:

generating a dynamically, randomly created, unique media access control (MAC) address for an initiator system network adapter containing randomly generated bits;

sending a solicitation message directly from the initiator system network adapter to a plurality of other system network adapters, in a network of at least three system network adapters, soliciting their descriptive information, said solicitation message being formatted as an FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type message, and said solicitation message neither passing through nor utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or any FCF type device, and said solicited system network adapters themselves not being FCF type devices;

receiving response messages from one or more system network adapters, each response message having descriptive information including a VN Port media access control (MAC) address corresponding to a responding system network adapter;

creating from the received response messages a list of the responding system network adapters along with their descriptive information including media access control addresses;

selecting a target system network adapter from among the listed system network adapters;

sending a virtual link establishment request directly to the selected target system network adapter, wherein said virtual link establishment request is a fabric login request (FLOGI) within an FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) message sent directly to the selected target system network adapter without passing through or utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or FCF type device;

receiving a positive virtual link establishment response directly from the selected target system network adapter, wherein said positive virtual link establishment response is a fabric login accept (FLOGI ACC) within an FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) message sent directly from the selected target system network adapter to the initiator system network adapter without passing through or utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or FCF type device;

and forming a direct virtual link between the requesting initiator system network adapter and the responding selected target system network adapter within a network of at least three system network adapters that are Peer fibre channel over Ethernet adapters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said system network adapters, initiator system network adapter, and target system network adapter each comprises a converged network adapter (CNA).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said dynamically generated media access control (MAC) address is the MAC address of a VN_Port within the initiator system network adapter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the unique media access control (MAC) address comprises:

creating an initial MAC address by utilizing a randomizing process;

determining if the created MAC address is unique in the network;

using the created MAC address as the generated MAC address only if it is determined to be unique within the network; otherwise

repeat generating a unique media access control (MAC) address until uniqueness of the created MAC address is obtained.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the randomizing process creates a 48 bit media access control (MAC) address by combining an administrator or automatically chosen high order 24 bits (known as the FC-MAP) with low order 24 bits(known as the N_Port_ID), wherein the low order 24 bits are randomly chosen; and

the determining process utilizes sending a verification FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type message directly to a plurality of other system network adapters in order to verify that said created MAC address is unique, and receiving a conflict response message if the MAC address is not unique.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending the initiator system network adapter's own descriptive information in a response message directly to other solicitating system network adapters; and wherein said response message contains, among the descriptive information, the MAC address of a VN_Port within the initiator system network adapter and is formatted as an FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type message.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving descriptive information in response messages directly from system adapters of said plurality of solicited systems network adapters; and wherein said response messages are formatted as FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type messages containing, among the descriptive information, MAC addresses of VN_Ports within the solicited plurality of system network adapters.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

creating a list of potential partner target VN_Ports along with their MAC addresses and descriptive information from the response messages received from said plurality of other system network adapters; and

using said list in the selection of the target system network adapter.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sending keep-alive/availability messages directly to a plurality of other system network adapters on a periodic schedule; and

receiving keep-alive/availability messages directly from a plurality of other system network adapters.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the keep-alive/availability messages are formatted as FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type messages and do not pass through and do not utilize an FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch, or an FCF type device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the keep-alive/availability messages are used by the receiving system network adapter to determine whether or not any messages have been received, within a predetermined time interval, in order to detect that the virtual link between the system network adapters is still active or that the sending system network adapter has become available.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein a system network adapter can be either an initiator system network adapter or a target system network adapter and wherein said initiator system network adapter comprises a network adapter for a computer (or another device that has initiator functions) and said target system network adapter comprises a network adapter for storage systems or storage controllers (or a device that emulates the network interaction of a storage system or storage controller).

13. The method of claim 1 wherein FCoE messages transferred over the formed direct virtual link are not passed through and do not utilize an FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch, or an FCF type device.

14. A method of establishing a virtual link for transferring Fibre Channel (FC) messages over a switched Ethernet network, comprising:

generating a dynamically, randomly created, unique media access control (MAC) address of a VN—Port for a target system network adapter containing randomly generated bits;

receiving solicitations for descriptive information directly from other system network adapters in a network of at least three system network adapters, solicitations being formatted as FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type messages, and said solicitations neither passing through nor utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or any FCF type device and said soliciting system network adapters themselves not being an FCF type device;

sending solicited descriptive information directly to soliciting system network adapters, the descriptive information being sent as response messages that are formatted as FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type messages and containing the generated MAC address of the VN—Port within the responding system network adapter, said response messages neither passing through nor utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or any FCF type device;

receiving virtual link establishment requests directly from requesting initiator system network adapters, wherein said virtual link establishment requests are fabric login requests (FLOGI) within FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) messages sent directly from initiator system network adapters without passing through or utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or FCF type device;

sending a positive virtual link establishment response to a virtual link establishment request, wherein said positive virtual link establishment response is a fabric login accept (FLOGI ACC) within an FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) message sent directly from the target system network adapter to the requesting initiator system network adapter without passing through or utilizing any FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch or FCF type device, which will cause a direct virtual link to be established between the requesting initiator system network adapter and the responding target system network adapter within a network of at least three system network adapters that are Peer fibre channel over Ethernet adapters.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the system network adapters, initiator system network adapters, and target system network adapter each comprises a converged network adapter (CNA).

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said dynamically generated media access control (MAC) address is the MAC address of a VN_Port within the target system network adapter.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the unique media access control (MAC) address comprises:

creating an initial MAC address by utilizing a randomizing process;

determining if the created MAC address is unique in the network;

using the created MAC address as the generated MAC address only if it is determined to be unique within the network; otherwise

repeat generating a unique media access control (MAC) address until uniqueness of the created MAC address is obtained.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the randomizing process creates the 48 bit media access control (MAC) address by combining an administrator or automatically chosen high order 24 bits (known as the FC-MAP) with low order 24 bits (known as the N_Port_ID), wherein the low order 24 bits are randomly chosen; and

the determining process utilizes sending a verification FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type message directly to a plurality of other system network adapters in order to verify that said created MAC address is unique, and receiving a conflict response message if the MAC address is not unique.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

sending keep-alive/availability messages directly to a plurality of other system network adapters on a periodic schedule; and

receiving keep-alive/availability messages directly from a plurality of other system network adapters.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the keep-alive/availability messages are formatted as FCoE Initiation Protocol (FIP) type messages and do not pass through and do not utilize an FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch, or an FCF type device.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the keep-alive/availability messages are used by the receiving system network adapter to determine whether or not any messages have been received, within a predetermined time interval, in order to detect that the virtual link between the system network adapters is still active or that the sending system network adapter has become available.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein a system network adapter can be either an initiator system network adapter or a target system network adapter and wherein said initiator system network adapter comprises a network adapter for a computer (or a device that has initiator functions) and said target system network adapter comprises a network adapter for storage systems or storage controllers (or devices that emulate the network interaction of a storage system or storage controller).

23. The method of claim 14 wherein FCoE messages transferred over the formed direct virtual link are not passed through and do not utilize an FCoE Forwarder (FCF), FC Switch, or an FCF type device.