Patent ID: 8661518
Filing Date: 2014-02-25
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An N-port ID virtualization (NPIV) switching system to operate in either an FC end-host mode or an FC switch mode, the system comprising: an NPIV proxy module comprising circuitry to implement state machines for NPIV proxy operations; server interfaces comprising circuitry configured to intercept login requests from a plurality of servers and send the intercepted login requests to the NPIV proxy module, each login request requesting assignment of a fiber-channel identifier (FCID) for logging in to a fiber-channel (FC) switch of a plurality of FC switches; and external interfaces comprising circuitry and having a plurality of N-ports, each N-port coupled with an F-port of one of the FC switches; wherein the state machines are configured to distribute the login requests over the plurality of N-ports allow the plurality of servers to be functionally coupled to an F-port of any of the FC switches, wherein the state machines, in response to each of the login requests, assign an FCID to each server to allow the NPIV proxy module to operate as a single end-host for each of the servers as the assigned FCIDs are associated with the NPIV proxy module and not associated with any particular FC switch when operating in FC end-host mode, wherein the state machines are configured to assign more than one FCID for a same N-port, wherein the state machines access data indicating a number of login requests previously distributed to the N-ports, and wherein the state machines distribute each of the login requests to a specific one of a plurality of available ones of the N-ports coupled with a corresponding plurality of the F-ports of the FC switches to achieve a substantially uniform distribution, wherein the specific N-port is selected by weighting the plurality of available ones of the N-ports based on a number of login requests previously distributed to the plurality of available ones of the N-ports.