Patent ID: 7644179
Filing Date: 2010-01-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of routing data between different virtual storage area networks (VSANs), the method comprising: (a) at a border network device that belongs to a first VSAN and a second VSAN, receiving data from a network device of the first VSAN that indicates that a new device has joined the first VSAN and such received data provides a first Fibre Channel identifier (FCID) for the new device, wherein the first FCID is usable to address the new device in the first VSAN; (b) when the new device is authorized to communicate with a remote device and the border network device is positioned in a path between the new device's first VSAN and the remote device's VSAN, assigning a second FCID for use in a second VSAN that is adjacent to the first VSAN so that the assigned second FCID is based on a domain that is unused by a local switch in the second VSAN and is unique in the second VSAN, whereby such assigning operation is caused by the receipt of the data, at the border network device of the first and second VSAN, that indicates that the new device has joined the first VSAN; (c) storing a binding between the first and second FCID for later use by the border network device for translating between the first and second FCID for data subsequently received into the border network device; and (d) informing other network devices in the second VSAN of the new device and its second FCID, wherein the informing is performed by the border network device so as to inform any other network devices that belong to the second VSAN and so as to inform any other border network devices that belong to both the second VSAN and one or more other VSANs.