Patent ID: 7764675

Claim:
A method comprising: at a first server endpoint node on a switch fabric, receiving a request from a first client endpoint node on the switch fabric, the request to establish a peer-to-peer connection with a second client endpoint node on the switch fabric to exchange data with the second client endpoint node through the peer-to-peer connection, wherein the switch fabric comprises the switch fabric to operate in compliance with an Advanced Switching Interconnect specification to include Advanced Switching Interconnect Core Architecture Specification, Revision 1.1, wherein to exchange data with the second client endpoint node through the peer-to-peer connection comprises exchanging data using Simple Load/Store communication protocols in accordance with another Advanced Switching Interconnect specification to include Simple Load/Store Specification, Revision 1.1; in response to receiving the request, the first server endpoint node obtaining from a management node on the switch fabric one or more parameters to enable the first client endpoint node to exchange data with the second client endpoint node, the one or more parameters maintained in a data repository at the management endpoint node, wherein the one or more parameters to enable the first client endpoint node to exchange data with the second client endpoint node includes a peer-to-peer identifier for the first client endpoint node, the number of apertures the second client endpoint node has available for Simple Load/Store transactions, an aperture index value to select an aperture table and an aperture index for synchronization, and the first server endpoint node retrieving from a second server endpoint node on the switch fabric data specifying a path on the switch fabric, the path including an intermediary node on the switch fabric; based on the one or more parameters and the data specifying the path, the first server endpoint node establishing the peer-to-peer connection; and after establishing the peer-to-peer connection, the first server endpoint node sending a message notifying the first client endpoint node that the peer-to-peer connection is established for the first client endpoint node to exchange data with the second client, where the first client endpoint node responds to the message by sending an initial transmission via the path to the second client endpoint node.