Patent Publication Number: US-11652692-B2

Title: Multi-fabric VLAN configuration system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present disclosure is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/946,909, filed on Jul. 10, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to configuring information handling system communications via Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) across multiple fabrics/domains. 
     As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. 
     Information handling systems such as, for example, server devices, Input/Output (I/O) modules, and switch devices, are sometime provided across different fabrics while being utilized to transmit communications between those fabrics. For example, a first fabric may include primary I/O modules connected via secondary I/O modules to server devices, while a second fabric may include leaf switch devices connected to spine switch devices as well as, in some cases, an Internet connection device such as a router device. Furthermore, the first fabric and the second fabric may be connected via the coupling of the primary I/O modules in the first fabric and the leaf switch devices in the second fabric in order to allow the server devices to communicate with each other and, in some cases, over the Internet. For example, the multi-fabric configuration discussed above may allow a first server device connected via a first secondary I/O module to a first primary I/O module to communicate through the Internet via an Internet device connected to one of the leaf switch device, or with a second server device connected via a second secondary I/O module to a second primary I/O module via a spine switch device and leaf switch device(s). 
     However, communications via multi-fabric configurations like those discussed above require extensive manual configuration operations to be performed on the primary I/O modules and the leaf switch devices. For example, each server device may be configured to utilize Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) for its communications, and the secondary I/O modules allow a relatively large number of server devices to be connected to any particular primary I/O module. As such, the communications discussed above require a network administrator or other user to configure the primary I/O modules and the leaf switch devices discussed above with VLAN information corresponding to multiple hundreds of VLANs in order to enable server device communications, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a multi-fabric VLAN configuration system that addressees the issues discussed above. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a processing system; and a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a fabric management engine that is configured to: receive, from a leaf switch device in a first fabric that is coupled to a primary Input/Output (I/O) module in a second fabric, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) information associated with a plurality of VLANs that are utilized by a plurality of server devices coupled to the primary I/O module; and automatically configure a plurality of leaf switch device downlink ports on the leaf switch device using the VLAN information. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of an Information Handling System (IHS). 
         FIG.  2 A  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a multi-fabric VLAN configuration system. 
         FIG.  2 B  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a portion of the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a primary I/O module included in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B . 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a leaf switch device included in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B . 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a fabric management system included in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B . 
         FIG.  6    is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method for configuring server device communication via VLANs across multiple fabrics. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g., blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components. 
     In one embodiment, IHS  100 ,  FIG.  1   , includes a processor  102 , which is connected to a bus  104 . Bus  104  serves as a connection between processor  102  and other components of IHS  100 . An input device  106  is coupled to processor  102  to provide input to processor  102 . Examples of input devices may include keyboards, touchscreens, pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs, and trackpads, and/or a variety of other input devices known in the art. Programs and data are stored on a mass storage device  108 , which is coupled to processor  102 . Examples of mass storage devices may include hard discs, optical disks, magneto-optical discs, solid-state storage devices, and/or a variety of other mass storage devices known in the art. IHS  100  further includes a display  110 , which is coupled to processor  102  by a video controller  112 . A system memory  114  is coupled to processor  102  to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate execution of computer programs by processor  102 . Examples of system memory may include random access memory (RAM) devices such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), solid state memory devices, and/or a variety of other memory devices known in the art. In an embodiment, a chassis  116  houses some or all of the components of IHS  100 . It should be understood that other buses and intermediate circuits can be deployed between the components described above and processor  102  to facilitate interconnection between the components and the processor  102 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , an embodiment of a multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  is illustrated. In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  includes a fabric  202  that includes a plurality of primary Input/Output (I/O) modules  204   a ,  204   b ,  204   c , and  204   d . In an embodiment, any or all of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . In a specific example, any or all of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  may be provided by a DELL® EMC® networking MX9116n fabric switching engine switch device, available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States. One of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  may be provided by “full-function” I/O modules that include an operating system and that may be configured to perform any of a variety of I/O module functions known in the art in handling server device communications, discussed in further detail below, and in specific examples may include networking hardware providing networking functions capable of supporting the secondary I/O modules discussed below that are coupled to them via double-density connections. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by particular type/functionality I/O modules, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  discussed below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  202  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes one or more secondary I/O modules  206   a  coupled to the primary I/O module  204   a , one or more secondary I/O modules  206   b  coupled to the primary I/O module  204   b , one or more secondary I/O modules  206   c  coupled to the primary I/O module  204   c , and one or more secondary I/O modules  206   d  coupled to the primary I/O module  204   d . For example, each secondary I/O module may be coupled to one of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  via an aggregated link (e.g., a VLT port channel in the VLT protocol), and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that each primary I/O module  204   a - 204   d  may typically be coupled to between 1-9 secondary I/O modules, while being capable of coupling to up to 12 secondary I/O modules. In an embodiment, any or all of the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . In a specific example, any or all of the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d  may be provided by a DELL® MX7108 expander module, available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States. One of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d  may be provided to enable their connected primary I/O module to couple to additional server devices (discussed in further detail below) and, as such, may not include an operating system, and may not be configured to perform many (or all of) the variety of I/O module functions performed by the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d , discussed in further detail below, and in specific examples may and electrical pass-through device connected via double-density connections to the primary I/O modules discussed above. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a particular type/functionality I/O modules, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d  discussed below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  202  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes one or more server devices  208   a  coupled to one or more of the secondary I/O modules  206   a , one or more server devices  208   b  coupled to one or more of the secondary I/O modules  206   b , one or more server devices  208   c  coupled to one or more of the secondary I/O modules  206   c , and one or more server devices  208   d  coupled to one or more of the secondary I/O modules  204   d . Furthermore,  FIG.  2 A  illustrates how server devices may be coupled to multiple secondary I/O modules in the fabric  202  (e.g., via the dashed line between the server device(s)  208   a  and the secondary I/O module(s)  206   b , which one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate may be provided using Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) bonding techniques). In an embodiment, any or all of the server devices  208   a - 208   d  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by server devices, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the server devices  208   a - 208   d  discussed below. 
     As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, in a specific example, each pair of the primary I/O modules (e.g., the pair of primary I/O modules  204   a / 204   b , the pair of primary I/O modules  204   c / 204   d , etc.) may be provided in a respective rack chassis (e.g., a “primary I/O module rack chassis”) such that each primary I/O module rack chassis houses two primary I/O modules. Furthermore, while not illustrated or described herein, each primary I/O module rack chassis that houses a pair of primary I/O modules may also house server devices that are directly connected to those primary I/O modules. However, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that each primary I/O module rack chassis may be limited to housing a maximum number of server devices (e.g., 8 server devices in many conventional rack chassis), while each of the primary I/O modules may be configured to handle communications from many more server devices. 
     Furthermore, each secondary I/O module may be provided in a respective rack chassis (e.g., a “secondary I/O module rack chassis”) with a subset of the server devices  208   a - 208   d  (e.g., 8 server devices in each rack chassis) that are connected to that secondary I/O module, and each secondary I/O module is connected to one of the primary I/O modules (which is housed in primary I/O module rack chassis) in order to couple the server devices in its secondary I/O module rack chassis to a primary I/O module. As discussed above, the primary I/O module may be a “full-function” I/O module that includes an operating system and that may be configured to perform a variety of I/O module functions for any server device (e.g., that is directly connected to that primary I/O module, or that is coupled to that primary I/O module by a secondary I/O module), while the secondary I/O modules do not include an operating system and are not configured to perform many (or all) of the variety of I/O module functions, as the purpose of the secondary I/O modules is to simply connect primary I/O modules to additional server devices that are not located in its primary I/O module rack chassis. 
     With reference to  FIG.  2 B , the primary I/O module  204   a  is illustrated as included in a rack chassis  210   a  and, while not illustrated, as discussed above the rack chassis  210   a  may house the primary I/O module  204   b  and server devices directly connected to that primary I/O module  204   a  while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. Furthermore, a rack chassis  210   b  may house a secondary I/O module  206   a  and a server device  208   a , and the secondary I/O module  206   a  may couple the server device  210   a  to the primary I/O module  204   a  via a link between the primary I/O module  204   a  and that secondary I/O module  206   a  (e.g., using a “double density” connection or other high bandwidth connection known in the art). Similarly, a rack chassis  210   bc  may house a secondary I/O module  206   a  that does not couple any server devices to the primary I/O module  204   a . Similarly as well, a rack chassis  210   d  may house a secondary I/O module  206   a  and a pair of server devices  208   a , and the secondary I/O module  206   a  may couple the server devices  210   a  to the primary I/O module  204   a  via a link between the primary I/O module  204   a  and that secondary I/O module  206   a  (e.g., using a “double density” connections or other high bandwidth connections known in the art). 
     Similarly as well, a rack chassis  210   e  may house a secondary I/O module  206   a  and a server device  208   a , and the secondary I/O module  206   a  may couple the server device  210   a  to the primary I/O module  204   a  via a link between the primary I/O module  204   a  and that secondary I/O module  206   a  (e.g., using a “double density” connections or other high bandwidth connections known in the art).  FIG.  2 B  also illustrates how the server device  208   a  may be coupled to another secondary I/O module (e.g., one of the secondary I/O module(s)  206   b  in another rack chassis) as well. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, variations of the configuration illustrated in  FIG.  2 B  may be provided for combinations of the primary I/O modules, secondary I/O modules, and server devices illustrated in  FIG.  2 A . For example, while only a few server devices are illustrated as coupled to the primary I/O module  204   a  via the secondary I/O modules  206   a  in  FIG.  2 B , as discussed above primary I/O modules may be coupled to as many as 9-12 secondary I/O modules, which are in turn coupled to up to 8 server devices and, as such, many more server devices than are illustrated in  FIG.  2 B  may be coupled to any primary I/O modules while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  202  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes a fabric management system  212  that, while not illustrated in  FIG.  2 A , may be coupled to any or all of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d , the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d , and/or the server devices  208   a - 208   d . In an embodiment, the fabric management system  212  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . In a specific example, the fabric management system  212  may be provided by a Smart Fabric Services (SFS) fabric management system available in operating systems (e.g., the next generation Operating System  10  ( 0510 ) provided by DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States), and may be configured to perform a variety of fabric management operations for the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d , the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d , and/or the server devices  208   a - 208   d  in the fabric  202 , which may provide an SFS domain of the SFS management system. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a particular fabric management system, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the fabric management system  212  discussed below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes a fabric  214  having a plurality of leaf switch devices  216   a ,  216   b ,  216   c , and  216   d . In an embodiment, any or all of the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , and in specific examples may be provided by Top Of Rack (TOR) switch devices. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by TOR switch devices, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d  discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, pairs of leaf switch devices (e.g., the leaf switch devices  216   a / 216   b  and the leaf switch devices  216   c / 216   d ) may be coupled together by inter-switch links that may be provided by aggregated Inter-Chassis Links (ICLs) (also referred to as VLT interconnects (VLTi&#39;s) in the VLT protocol), and/or other inter-switch connections that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG.  2 A , the leaf switch device  216   a  is coupled to each of the primary I/O modules  204   a  and  204   b , the leaf switch device  216   b  is coupled to each of the primary I/O modules  204   a  and  204   b , and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the connections between the leaf switch devices  216   a / 216   b  and the primary I/O modules  204   a / 204   b  may be aggregated using, for example, the Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) protocol available in switch devices provided by DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States, in order to provide an aggregated link (or “VLT port channel”) between the leaf switch devices  216   a / 216   b  and the primary I/O modules  204   a / 204   b . Similarly, the leaf switch device  216   c  is coupled to the primary I/O module  204   c , the leaf switch device  216   d  is coupled to the primary I/O module  204   d , and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the connections between the leaf switch device  216   c  and the primary I/O module  204   c , as well as the leaf switch device  216   d  and the primary I/O module  204   d , may each be aggregated using, for example, the VLT protocol available in switch devices provided by DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States, in order to provide an aggregated link (or “VLT port channel”) between the leaf switch device  216   c  and the primary I/O module  204   c , as well as the leaf switch device  216   d  and the primary I/O module  204   d . As such, the fabric  202  may be connected to the fabric  214  via uplink ports (discussed in further detail below) on the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d.    
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  214  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes a pair of spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b , with the spine switch device  218   a  coupled to each of the leaf switch devices  216   a ,  216   b ,  216   c , and  216   d , and the spine switch device  218   b  coupled to each of the leaf switch devices  216   a ,  216   b ,  216   c , and  216   d  as well. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, any connection between either of the spine switch devices  218   a / 218   b  and a leaf switch device  216   a - 216   d  may include one or more links that may be aggregated similarly as discussed above. In an embodiment, either or both of the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by spine switch devices, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b  discussed below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  214  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes an Internet device  220  that is connected to each of the leaf switch devices  216   c  and  216   d , as well as to the Internet (not explicitly illustrated in  FIG.  2 A ). In an embodiment, the Internet device  220  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , and in specific examples may be provided by a router device. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a router device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the Internet device  220  discussed below. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric  214  in the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  also includes a fabric management system  222  that, while not illustrated in  FIG.  2 A , may be coupled to any or all of the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d , the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b , and the Internet device  220 . In an embodiment, the fabric management system  222  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   , and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 . In a specific example, the fabric management system  222  may be provided by a Smart Fabric Services (SFS) fabric management system available in operating systems (e.g., the next generation Operating System  10  ( 0510 ) provided by DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States), and may be configured to perform a variety of fabric management operations for the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d , the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b , and the Internet device  220  in the fabric  214 , which provides an SFS domain of the SFS management system. However, while illustrated and discussed as being provided by a particular fabric management system, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may include any devices that may be configured to operate similarly as the fabric management system  222  discussed below. However, while a specific multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  has been illustrated and described, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure may include a variety of components and component configurations while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3   , an embodiment of a primary I/O module  300  is illustrated that may provide any or all of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  2   . As such, the primary I/O module  300  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1    and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , and in specific examples may be provided by a DELL® EMC® networking MX9116n fabric switching engine switch device, available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States. Furthermore, while illustrated and discussed as a particular primary I/O module, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the primary I/O module  300  discussed below may be provided by other devices that are configured to operate similarly as the primary I/O module  300  discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, the primary I/O module  300  includes a chassis  302  that houses the components of the primary I/O module  300 , only some of which are illustrated and discussed below. For example, the chassis  302  may house a processing system (not illustrated, but which may include the processor  102  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) and a memory system (not illustrated, but which may include the memory  114  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a primary I/O module engine  304  that is configured to perform the functionality of the primary I/O module engines and/or primary I/O modules discussed below. 
     The chassis  302  may also house a management communication system  306  that is coupled to the primary I/O module engine  304  (e.g., via a coupling between the management communication system  306  and the processing system), that may be provided by a Network Interface Controller (NIC), wireless communication systems (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, WiFi components, etc.), and/or any other communication components that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, and that couples the primary I/O module  300  to the fabric management system  212  in the examples provided herein. In addition, the chassis  302  may include a plurality of uplink ports  308   a ,  308   b , and up to  308   c  that, as discussed below, may couple the primary I/O module to any of the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d . Furthermore, the chassis  302  may also include a plurality of downlink ports  310   a ,  310   b ,  310   c , and up to  310   d  that, as discussed below, may couple the primary I/O module  300  to any of the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d . However, while a specific primary I/O module  300  has been illustrated, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that primary I/O modules (or other devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the primary I/O module  300 ) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional primary I/O module functionality, as well as the functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  4   , an embodiment of a leaf switch device  400  is illustrated that may provide any or all of the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  2   . As such, the leaf switch device  400  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1    and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , and in specific examples may be provided by TOR switch device. However, while illustrated and discussed as a TOR switch device, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the leaf switch device  400  discussed below may be provided by other devices that are configured to operate similarly as the leaf switch device  400  discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, the leaf switch device  400  includes a chassis  402  that houses the components of the leaf switch device  400 , only some of which are illustrated and discussed below. For example, the chassis  402  may house a processing system (not illustrated, but which may include the processor  102  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) and a memory system (not illustrated, but which may include the memory  114  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a leaf switch engine  404  that is configured to perform the functionality of the leaf switch engines and/or leaf switch devices discussed below. 
     The chassis  402  may also house a management communication system  406  that is coupled to the leaf switch engine  404  (e.g., via a coupling between the management communication system  406  and the processing system) and that may be provided by a Network Interface Controller (NIC), wireless communication systems (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, WiFi components, etc.), and/or any other communication components that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, and that couples the leaf switch device  400  to the fabric management system  222  in the examples provided herein. In addition, the chassis  402  may include one or more inter-switch ports  408  that may couple the leaf switch device  400  to other leaf switch devices, as discussed above. Furthermore, the chassis may also include a plurality of uplink ports  410   a ,  410   b , and up to  410   c  that, as discussed below, may couple the leaf switch device  400  to any of the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b . Further still, the chassis  402  may also include a plurality of downlink ports  412   a ,  412   b ,  412   c , and up to  412   d  that, as discussed below, may couple the leaf switch device  400  to any of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d . However, while a specific leaf switch device  400  has been illustrated, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that leaf switch devices (or other devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the leaf switch device  400 ) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional leaf switch device functionality, as well as the functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , an embodiment of a fabric management system  500  is illustrated that may provide either or both of the fabric management systems  212  and  222  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  2   . As such, the fabric management system  500  may be provided by the IHS  100  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1    and/or may include some or all of the components of the IHS  100 , and in specific examples may be provided by an SFS fabric management system available from DELL® Inc. of Round Rock, Tex., United States. Furthermore, while illustrated and discussed as a particular fabric management system, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the functionality of the fabric management system  500  discussed below may be provided by other devices that are configured to operate similarly as the fabric management system  500  discussed below. In the illustrated embodiment, the fabric management system  500  includes a chassis  502  that houses the components of the fabric management system  500 , only some of which are illustrated below. For example, the chassis  502  may house a processing system (not illustrated, but which may include the processor  102  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) and a memory system (not illustrated, but which may include the memory  114  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a fabric management engine  504  that is configured to perform the functionality of the fabric management engines and/or fabric management systems discussed below. 
     The chassis  502  may also house a storage device (not illustrated, but which may include the storage device  108  discussed above with reference to  FIG.  1   ) that is coupled to the fabric management engine  504  (e.g., via a coupling between the storage device and the processing system) and that provides a fabric management database  506  that may store any of the information utilized by the fabric management engine  504  discussed below. The chassis  502  may also house a communication system  508  that is coupled to the fabric management engine  504  (e.g., via a coupling between the communication system  508  and the processing system) and that may be provided by a Network Interface Controller (NIC), wireless communication systems (e.g., BLUETOOTH®, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, WiFi components, etc.), and/or any other communication components that would be apparent to one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure. However, while a specific fabric management system  500  has been illustrated, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that fabric management systems (or other devices operating according to the teachings of the present disclosure in a manner similar to that described below for the fabric management system) may include a variety of components and/or component configurations for providing conventional fabric management system functionality, as well as the functionality discussed below, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure as well. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  6   , an embodiment of a method  600  for configuring server device communication via VLANs across multiple fabrics is illustrated. As discussed below, the systems and methods of the present disclosure provide for the automatic configuration of server device communications via VLANs and across multiple fabrics to enable server devices to communicate between each other and via the Internet. For example, the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure includes a first fabric having a plurality of server devices that are configured to communicate using a plurality of VLANs, a primary I/O module that is coupled to the plurality of server devices, and a first fabric management system that is coupled to the plurality of server devices and the primary I/O module. The first fabric management system operates to identify VLAN information associated with the plurality of VLANs, automatically configure a plurality of primary I/O module downlink ports on the primary I/O module using the VLAN information, and cause the VLAN information to be transmitted via a plurality of primary I/O module uplink ports on the primary I/O module. The multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure also includes a second fabric having a leaf switch device that is coupled to the primary I/O module via the plurality of primary I/O module uplink ports and that is configured to receive the VLAN information, and a second fabric management system that is coupled to the leaf switch device. The second fabric management system operates to receive the VLAN information from the leaf switch device, and automatically configure a plurality of leaf switch device downlink ports on the leaf switch device using the VLAN information. As such, the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure eliminates the time consuming, error-prone conventional manual configuration techniques to allow server device communication using VLANs and across multiple fabrics. 
     The method  600  begins at block  602  where a first fabric management system identifies VLAN information associated with VLANs utilized by server devices to communicate. In an embodiment, during or prior to the method  600 , the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may be configured by, for example, physically coupling together the server devices  208   a - 208   d , the secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d , the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d , the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d , the spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b , the Internet device  220 , and the fabric management devices  212  and  222  (e.g., using cabling and/or other coupling techniques known in the art) in order to provide the fabrics  202  and  214  discussed above. Furthermore, during or prior to the method  600 , the server devices  208   a - 208   d  may also be configured to communicate using VLANs, and one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize how a network administrator or other user of the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system  200  may utilize a variety of VLAN configuration techniques known in the art in order to configure each of the server device  208   a - 208   d  to communicate using one or more of the VLANs discussed below. As such, prior to block  602 , each of the server devices  208   a  in the fabric  202  is configured to communicate using at least one VLAN. Furthermore, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that other systems may integrate with the system of the present disclosure, and the configuration of the VLAN by a user at block  602  may allow that VLAN configuration to be propagated to multiple systems while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In an embodiment, at block  602 , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may communicate via its communication system  508  with the primary I/O module engine  304  in the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  306 ) in order to identify VLAN information associated with the VLANs that the server devices  208   a - 208   d  are configured to use to communicate. For example, as discussed above, each of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  may be coupled via one or more of its downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  (“server facing downlink ports”) using aggregated links (e.g., VLT port channels in the VLT protocol) to secondary I/O modules  206   a - 206   d  that are further coupled to the server devices  208   a - 208   d , and VLANs configured for use by the server devices  208   a - 208   d  in order to communicate may be visible via those downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  (e.g., via the VLT port channels), which allows the VLAN information associated with those VLANs to be identified by the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  at block  602 . 
     As such, with reference to the specific example illustrated in  FIG.  2 B , at block  602  the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may identify first VLAN information associated with a first VLAN that the server device  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   b  is configured to utilize to communicate, second and third VLAN information associated with second and third VLANs that the respective server devices  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   d  are configured to utilize to communicate, and fourth VLAN information associated with a fourth VLAN that the server device  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   e  is configured to utilize to communicate. Thus, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the fabric management system  212  in the fabric  212  may identify every VLAN that is configured for use by the server devices  208   a - 208   d  to communicate based on the “visibility” of those VLANs on any of the downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  on each of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  at block  602  (i.e., the configuration of those VLANs on server facing interfaces). 
     The method  600  then proceeds to block  604  where the first fabric management system automatically configures primary I/O modules using the VLAN information. In an embodiment, at block  604  and in response to identifying the VLAN information at block  602 , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may communicate via its communication system  508  with the primary I/O module engine  304  in the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  306 ) in order to configure each of those primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  using the VLAN information identified at block  602 . For example, the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may operate at block  604  to automatically configure the uplink ports  308   a - 308   c  on each of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  using the VLAN information identified via the downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  on those primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  at block  602 . 
     As such, with reference to the specific example illustrated in  FIG.  2 B , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may operate at block  604  to automatically configure the uplink ports  308   a - 308   c  on the primary I/O module  204   a / 300  using the VLAN information that was identified via the downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  on that primary I/O module  204   a / 300  at block  602  and that is associated with the first VLAN configured for use in communicating by the server device  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   b , the second and third VLANs configured for use in communicating by the server devices  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   d , and the fourth VLAN configured for use in communicating by the server device  208   a  in the rack chassis  210   e . As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will appreciate that the fabric management system  212  in the fabric  212  may configure the uplink ports  308   a - 308   c  on each of the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  using the VLAN information identified via the downlink ports  310   a - 310   d  on those primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  (i.e., the secondary I/O modules may collect VLAN configuration(s) provided on a connected server, and configure corresponding VLANs on any server facing uplink interfaces). 
     The method  600  then proceeds to block  606  where the first fabric management system causes the VLAN information to be transmitted by the primary I/O modules to leaf switch devices. In an embodiment, at block  606 , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  may communicate via its communication system  508  with the primary I/O module engine  304  in the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  306 ) in order to cause the primary I/O module engine  304  in the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  to transmit the VLAN information to the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d . For example, at block  606 , the communications between the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  212 / 500  and the primary I/O module engine  304  in the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  may cause the primary I/O module engines  304  to generate Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) communications that include the VLAN information that was used to configure the uplink ports  308   a - 308   c  on those primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300 , and transmit those LLDP communications to their connected leaf switch device(s)  216   a - 216   d.    
     The method  600  then proceeds to block  608  where a second fabric management system receives the VLAN information from the leaf switch devices. In an embodiment, at block  608 , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may communicate via its communication system  508  with the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  406 ) in order to receive the VLAN information transmitted to the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  by the primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d  at block  606 . For example, in response to receiving VLAN information at block  606 , the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  may generate a bitmap data structure, provide the VLAN information received at block  606  into the bitmap data structure, and transmit the bitmap data structure via its communication system  406  such that the bitmap data structure is received by the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  via its communication system  508 . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the VLAN information identified at block  602  may include VLAN identifiers (e.g., 12-bit VLAN identifiers) for a relatively large number of VLANs, and thus the bitmap data structure generated by the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  may allow the VLAN information to be transmitted to the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  in a relatively efficient manner. 
     The method  600  then proceeds to block  610  where the second fabric management system automatically configures the leaf switch devices using the VLAN information. In an embodiment, at block  610  and in response to receiving the VLAN information, the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may utilize the VLAN information to generate networking constructs for the downlink ports  412   a - 412   d  on the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400 . For example, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize that the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  and spine switch devices  218   a  and  218   b  may provide a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Virtual Private Network (VPN)-based access network and, as such, in an embodiment of block  610  the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may utilize the VLAN information received from the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  to generate Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VxLAN) information for the downlink ports  412   a - 412   d  on the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400 . The fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may then communicate via its communication system  508  with the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  406 ) in order to utilize that VxLAN information to configure the downlink ports  412   a - 412   d  on the leaf switch devices  216   a - 216   d / 400  to provide VxLAN access interfaces on those downlink ports  412   a - 412   d  that are connected to uplink ports  308   a - 308   c  on primary I/O modules  204   a - 204   d / 300  that were configured with the corresponding VLAN information. 
     The method  600  then proceeds to block  612  where the second fabric management system automatically configures communications with an Internet device using the VLAN information. In an embodiment, at block  612 , the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may then communicate via its communication system  508  with the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  406 ) in order to configure the uplink ports  410   a - 410   c  on those leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  that are connected to the Internet device  220  using the VLAN information received from the leaf switch devices at block  608 . Similarly as discussed above, the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may utilize the VLAN information received from the leaf switch devices to generate VxLAN information for the uplink ports  410   a - 410   c  on the leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  that are connected to the Internet device  220 . 
     The fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may then communicate via its communication system  508  with the leaf switch engine  404  in the leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  (e.g., via their respective management communication systems  406 ) in order to utilize that VxLAN information to configure the uplink ports  410   a - 410   c  on those leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  in order to provide VxLAN access interfaces on those uplink ports  410   a - 410   c  that are connected to the Internet device  220 . As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure, the fabric management engine  504  in the fabric management system  222 / 500  may utilize any of the VLAN information received from the leaf switch devices at block  608  in order to generate any Layer 2 (L2) configurations on the uplink ports  410   a - 410   c  on the leaf switch devices  216   c / 400  and  216   d / 400  that are connected to the Internet device  220  and that are needed to allow any of the server devices  208   a - 208   d  to communicate using their respective VLANs and via the Internet using the Internet device  220  (i.e., the uplink may aggregate all of the VLANs configured on the leaf switch facing ports). 
     Thus, systems and methods have been described that provide for the automatic configuration of VLANs across multiple fabrics/Smart Fabric Services (SFS) domains to enable server devices to communicate with each other and via the Internet. For example, the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure includes a first fabric/SFS domain having a plurality of server devices that are configured to communicate using a plurality of VLANs, a primary I/O module that is coupled to the plurality of server devices, and a first SFS management system that is coupled to the plurality of server devices and the primary I/O module. The first SFS management system operates to identify VLAN information associated with the plurality of VLANs, automatically configure a plurality of primary I/O module downlink ports on the primary I/O module using the VLAN information, and cause the VLAN information to be transmitted via a plurality of primary I/O module uplink ports on the primary I/O module. The multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure also includes a second fabric/SFS domain having a leaf switch device that is coupled to the primary I/O module via the plurality of primary I/O module uplink ports and that is configured to receive the VLAN information, and a second SFS management system that is coupled to the leaf switch device. The second SFS management system operates to receive the VLAN information from the leaf switch device, and automatically configure a plurality of leaf switch device downlink ports on the leaf switch device using the VLAN information. As such, one of skill in the art in possession of the present disclosure will recognize how the multi-fabric VLAN configuration system of the present disclosure eliminates the time consuming, error-prone conventional manual configuration techniques to allow server device communications using VLANs and across multiple fabrics. 
     Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.