Fibre Channel Redirect Infrastructure for Intelligent Service Cascading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage area network (SAN) infrastructure often lacks the necessary intelligence and requires rewiring to implement intelligent services for data traffic between hosts and storage devices, which is time-consuming and complex.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Fibre Channel redirect infrastructure that allows data traffic to flow through a cascade of applications within the SAN, enabling intelligent services like data migration and encryption without manual configuration or network rewiring, by redirecting frames through a sequence of application nodes while maintaining transparency to the host and target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If intelligent services are implemented on switches in the existing SAN infrastructure, then data processing capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts intelligent service functionality from the core SAN switch infrastructure and relocates it to external application nodes. The switch fabric maintains its simple forwarding function while intelligent services (encryption, compression, migration) are performed by separate nodes that receive traffic copies through port mirroring or SPAN capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (port mirroring/SPAN) that allows traffic to be copied to external application nodes without modifying the core switch infrastructure. This intermediary enables intelligent services to be added without increasing the complexity of the existing switches.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the SAN infrastructure is rewired to implement intelligent services, then service functionality is improved, but implementation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the SAN infrastructure universal by enabling it to support multiple services simultaneously through software configuration rather than physical rewiring. The same fabric can handle storage traffic while external nodes provide encryption, compression, migration, and other services based on policy configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring policy-based rules that automatically direct traffic to appropriate application nodes. Services are activated through software policies rather than physical reconfiguration, allowing rapid deployment and modification of service functionality.
3Productivity
If intelligent services are added to the SAN, then data processing capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SAN system into distinct functional components: the core fabric handles high-speed transport while external application nodes provide specialized processing services. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, improving overall data processing capability without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through policy-based automation where the system automatically routes traffic to appropriate services based on predefined rules. This reduces the complexity of service management as the system self-configures service delivery without manual intervention for each service instance.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for redirecting fiber channel data transmitted between nodes in a fiber channel fabric. The redirection allows traffic sent from a host to a target in a storage area network (SAN) to flow through a cascade of applications provided by certain nodes of the fabric (or in some cases, by external appliances). That is, techniques are disclosed for application chaining in the SAN. Doing so allows the SAN to be used as a true network platform for providing a variety of intelligent services within the network (e.g., data migration, encryption, etc).