Patent ID: 9584632
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method for transmitting a frame of a data stream from a first network device associated with a first network protocol to a second network device associated with a second network protocol, the method being performed by a storage area network switch including a first port coupled with the first network device and a second port coupled with the second network device, the method comprising: associating the first port with the first network protocol; assigning a first virtual address to the first port, the first virtual address being represented in an address format associated with the second network protocol; assigning a second virtual address to the second port, the second virtual address being represented in an address format associated with the first network protocol; establishing a first mapping table that maps the first port to a first original address of the first network device and the first virtual address, and that maps the second port to a second original address of the second network device and the second virtual address; establishing, based on the first mapping table, a second mapping table that maps the first port and the second port to the second virtual address; providing, based on the second mapping table, the second virtual address to the first network device; receiving, from the first network device via the first port, a first frame, the first frame including the second virtual address as a destination address and the first original address as a source address; obtaining the second virtual address and the first original address from the first frame; determining, based on the second virtual address obtained from the first frame, and the first mapping table, that a destination device for the first frame is connected to the second port; determining, based on the first original address obtained from the first frame, and the first mapping table, the first virtual address; generating a second frame of the second network protocol to include the data included in the first frame, the second frame including the first virtual address as the source address; and transmitting the second frame to the second network device via the second port; wherein the first and second network protocols comprise at least one of: Ethernet; InfiniBand; Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface; Internet Small Computer System Interface; and Fibre Channel protocols.