Patent ID: 8228820
Filing Date: 2012-07-24
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A data switching device comprising: a plurality of host-connecting ports for connecting to a series of hosts; at least one node port for connecting to a fabric; and a switch coupled to said plurality of host-connecting ports and said at least one node port for interconnecting said ports; wherein said at least one node port operates as a virtual node port, with a different virtual node address representative of each of said plurality of host-connecting ports connected to hosts; wherein a destination identifier within a frame received by the at least one node port from the fabric includes a virtual address of the different virtual node addresses, the frame forwarded from the at least one node port to the host-connecting port connected to the host corresponding to the virtual address without modification of said virtual address within said received and forwarded frame; and wherein a source identifier within a frame transmitted by the at least one node port to the fabric includes said virtual address, the frame forwarded to the at least one node port from the host-connecting port connected to the host corresponding to said virtual address without modification of said virtual address within said forwarded and transmitted frame.