Patent Document ID: 6118776
Application ID: 08907385
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A system for interconnecting a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop having one or more directly attached Private Loop Devices and a second device to communicate Fibre Channel frames, comprising; a first Arbitrated Loop containing one or more private loop devices, a second device, a Fibre Channel private loop device interconnect system, the interconnect system including: a first port containing a first port control module coupled to the first Arbitrated Loop, a second port containing a second port control nodule coupled to the second device, the first and second port control modules each containing a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop Port State Machine, the Loop Port State Machine including: an active L.sub.-- Port, implementing the Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop protocol, including the generation of ARBs, OPNs and Closes, the first loop port state machine providing point to point connection between the first loop port state machine and a private loop device on the first Arbitrated Loop, route determination apparatus for selecting a route between the port control modules, and connectivity apparatus coupled to the first and second port control modules and to the route determination apparatus for switching frames between ports under control of the route determination apparatus, whereby Fibre Channel frames are transferred between a private loop device on the first Arbitrated Loop and the second device.