Patent ID: 11870682
Assignee: MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A method for communication, comprising:
configuring primary routes for delivery of data packets in a network comprising multiple subnetworks interconnected by trunk links, each subnetwork comprising multiple switches, which are configured to communicate via at least first and second virtual lanes and are arranged in a bipartite topology comprising an upper tier containing upper-tier switches, which are connected to one or more of the trunk links, and a lower tier containing lower-tier switches, which are connected by local links to the upper-tier switches;
partitioning the local links in each subnetwork into at least first and second groups;
for each local link that is a part of one or more of the primary routes and connects a first upper-tier switch to a first lower-tier switch in a given subnetwork, defining a corresponding detour route passing through a first local link belonging to the first group from the first upper-tier switch to a second lower-tier switch within the given subnetwork, and from the second lower-tier switch over a second local link to a second upper-tier switch in the given subnetwork, and from the second upper-tier switch over a third local link belonging to the second group to the first lower-tier switch; and
upon a failure of the local link connecting the first upper-tier switch to the first lower-tier switch, rerouting the data packets arriving at the first upper-tier switch for transmission to the first lower-tier switch so that the data packets pass through the corresponding detour route to the first lower-tier switch, while transmitting the data packets over the second and third local links via the second virtual lane.