Patent ID: 7548560
Filing Date: 2009-06-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for a port that receives Fibre Channel frames, comprising: (a) storing a maximum frame length value and a minimum frame length value for each of a plurality of Fibre Channel frame type; wherein the maximum frame length value and the minimum frame length value for each of the plurality of Fibre Channel frame type are associated with a R_CTL value, a field of a Fibre Channel frame header used for routing Fibre Channel frames; (b) extracting a R_CTL value from a frame header of a Fibre Channel frame received at the port; (c) comparing the extracted R_CTL value of the Fibre Channel frame with stored R_CTL values in step (a); (d) if the extracted R_CTL value matches with a stored R_CTL value in step (c), then comparing a frame length of the received Fibre Channel frame with a maximum frame-length and a minimum frame-length associated with the extracted and matched R_CTL value; (e) if the extracted R_CTL does not match with any stored R_CTL value in step (c), then comparing the frame length of the received Fibre Channel frame with a default maximum frame length value and a default minimum frame length value; (f) based on the comparison in step (d) and step (e), determining if the received Fibre Channel frame is a long frame or a short frame; wherein the received Fibre Channel frame is a long frame if the frame length of the received Fibre Channel frame is greater than the maximum frame length from step (d), if there was a match in step (c), or greater than the default maximum frame length from step (e), if there was no match in step (c); and the received Fibre Channel frame is a short frame if the frame length of the received Fibre Channel frame is less than the minimum frame length from step (d), if there was a match in step (c), or less than the default minimum frame length from step (e), if there was no match in step (c); and (g) discarding the received Fibre Channel frame if the frame is a long frame or a short frame.