Patent ID: 6535990
Filing Date: 2003-03-18
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
A method for providing communications between a cluster of nodes in a clustered computing system in a manner that tolerates failures of communication pathways between the cluster of nodes, comprising:configuring a distinct logical pathway between each possible source node and each possible destination node in the cluster of nodes, so that each distinct logical pathway is routed across one of at least two disjoint physical pathways between each possible source node and each possible destination node; wherein the distinct logical pathway between each possible source node includes a first logical pathway between a first node and a second node in the cluster of nodes, so that the first logical pathway is routed across a first physical pathway of at least two disjoint physical pathways between the first node and the second node; associating a distinct per-node logical address with each node in the cluster; for each source node in the cluster, associating the per-node logical address for each destination node in the cluster with a corresponding logical pathway to the destination node, so that a communication from a given source node to a given per-node logical address of a given destination node is directed across the corresponding logical pathway to the given destination node; detecting a failure of the first physical pathway; and rerouting the first logical pathway across a second one of the at least two disjoint physical pathways between the first node and the second node.