Router and methods using network addresses for virtualization

Abstract

A router for use in a network includes a scalable architecture and performs methods for implementing quality of service on a logical unit behind a network port; and for implementing storage virtualization. The architecture includes a managing processor, a supervising processor; and a plurality of routing processors coupled to a fabric. The managing processor has an in-band link to a routing processor. A routing processor receives a frame from the network, determines by parsing the frame, the protocol and logical unit number, and routes the frame to a queue according to a traffic class associated with the logical unit number in routing information prepared for the processors. An arbitration scheme empties the queue in accordance with a deficit round robin technique. If a routing processor detects the frame's destination is a virtual entity, and so is part of a virtual transaction, the router conducts a nonvirtual transaction in concert with the virtual transaction. The nonvirtual transaction accomplishes the intent of the virtual transaction but operates on an actual network port, for example, a storage device.

1 . A method performed by a router for routing frames in a network, the router comprising a managing processor and a plurality of routing processors, each routing processor for receiving frames from the network, for routing frames to the network, and for routing frames to the managing processor, the method performed by the managing processor comprising: 
 executing a plurality of proxy processes, each proxy process associated with a destination from a set of destinations used for communication between the managing processor and the plurality of routing processors;    receiving from a routing processor of the plurality of routing processors a frame comprising indicia of a particular destination of the set of destinations;    parsing the frame to determine a particular proxy process of the plurality in accordance with the indicia of the particular destination; and    providing at least a payload of the frame to the particular proxy process.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the indicia of the destination comprises a network address reserved to the router.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the managing processor comprises a port for receiving frames, each frame comprising indicia of any destination of the set of destinations.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each proxy process performs a step for receiving exclusively frames comprising indicia of one destination of the set of destinations.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each indicia of destination comprises a network address.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the network address comprises a domain value, an area value, and a port value, and each member of the set of destinations comprises the same domain value and the same area value.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each indicia of a destination comprises a virtual address.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each proxy process performs a step for maintaining a state of a respective virtual target.  
   
   
       9 . A method performed by a router for routing frames in a network, the router comprising a managing processor and a plurality of routing processors, each routing processor for receiving frames from the network, for routing frames to the network, and for routing frames to the managing processor, the method performed by the managing processor comprising: 
 maintaining an association between an indicia of a first destination and an indicia of a second destination, the indicia of the first destination being a member of a set of members used for communication between the managing processor and a routing processor of the plurality of routing processors;    receiving from the routing processor a first frame of a first transaction, the first frame comprising indicia of the first destination;    determining the indicia of the second destination by parsing the first frame and referring to the association; and    passing a second frame to the routing processor for routing to the network to initiate a second transaction, the second frame comprising an indicia of the second destination.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the indicia of the first destination comprises a virtual address.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the indicia of the second destination is a nonvirtual address.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the set consists of network addresses identified to the router.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the router includes a distributing circuit; and the first frame and the second frame are communicated between the routing processor and the managing processor via the distributing circuit.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first frame conveys a pay load for a SCSI based non-Input/Output Read/Write (I/O R/W) virtual transaction.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second frame conveys the payload for a nonvirtual transaction.  
   
   
       16 . A method performed by a router for routing frames in a network, the router comprising a managing processor and a plurality of routing processors, each routing processor for receiving frames from the network, for routing frames to the network, and for routing frames to the managing processor, the network comprising a nonvirtual target having a first page and a second page, the method performed by the managing processor comprising: 
 receiving from the routing processor a first frame for accessing a page of a virtual target;    passing to the routing processor a second frame identified to the nonvirtual target for accessing a portion of the first page; and    passing to the routing processor a third frame identified to the nonvirtual target for accessing a portion of the second page.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first frame comprises a virtual address.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first frame is part of a virtual transaction to read data from a virtual target.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first frame is part of a virtual transaction to write data to a virtual target.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first page consecutively precedes the second page to define a page boundary between the first page and the second page.  
   
   
       21 - 85 . (canceled)