Patent ID: 7334046

Claim:
A method for routing Fibre Channel frames in a Fibre Channel system, comprising: storing a pre-programmed preferred route in a memory accessible to a processor of a Fibre Channel switch element to route Fibre Channel frames from a source Fibre Channel port to a destination Fibre Channel port; comparing a cost associated with the pre-programmed preferred route; with a cost associated with a lowest cost route that is determined by using a standard Fibre Channel Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) protocol; using the pre-programmed-preferred route to route the Fibre Channel frames if the cost associated with the pre-programmed preferred route is equal to or lower than the cost associated with the lowest cost route determined by the standard Fibre Channel FSPF protocol; and using a route determined by the standard Fibre Channel FSPF protocol if a preferred route has not been pre-programmed.