Management of multiple network routes

Abstract

Managing network communications between network hosts that have multiple physical network ports coupled to the network. A first host broadcasts address resolution requests from first physical network ports of the first host and receives responses to the address resolution requests from second physical network ports of a second host. The responses include respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports. The first host generates connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between first physical network ports of the first host and second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses, from which a subset of available communication routes can be selected for data transfer.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer implemented method of operations in a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, comprising:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the respective port bandwidths for the second physical network ports are included in optional extension fields of the responses to the address resolution requests. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the connectivity information includes a plurality of entries for the available communication routes, an entry for a available communication route identifying a respective one of the first physical network ports, a respective one of the second physical network ports and a respective connection bandwidth for the respective one of the second physical network ports. 
     
     
       3. A computer implemented method of operations in a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, comprising:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein selecting the subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host comprises: selecting the subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on respective connection bandwidths of the first physical network ports and the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein selecting the subset of the available communication routes comprises: selecting the subset of the available communication routes by allocating the respective connection bandwidths of the first physical network ports and the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports until the respective connection bandwidths for either the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports are consumed. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the subset of available communication routes are selected to balance data transfer across at least one of the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports. 
     
     
       6. A computer implemented method of operations in a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, comprising:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the subset of available communication routes is a minimum subset of the available communication routes that fully utilizes all available bandwidth of at least one of the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein a first communication route in the subset of communication routes is a communication route between a first physical network port and a second physical network port having different connection bandwidths. 
     
     
       8. A computer implemented method of operations in a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, comprising:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the first physical ports have different physical addresses and a single network address. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the network is a storage area network (SAN), the first host is an initiator host and the second host is a storage host that provides storage services for the initiator host via the SAN through a SAN protocol, wherein generating connectivity information comprises:
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the SAN between a plurality of first physical network ports of the initiator host and a plurality of second physical network ports of the storage host that provide storage services for the initiator host via the SAN. 
 
     
     
       10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for network communications between a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, the instructions comprising instructions for:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the connectivity information includes a plurality of entries for the available communication routes, an entry for a available communication route identifying a respective one of the first physical network ports, a respective one of the second physical network ports and a respective connection bandwidth for the respective one of the second physical network ports. 
 
     
     
       11. The computer readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the respective port bandwidths for the second physical network ports are included in optional extension fields of the responses to the address resolution requests. 
     
     
       12. The computer readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the subset of available communication routes are selected to balance data transfer across at least one of the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports. 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for network communications between a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, the instructions comprising instructions for:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein selecting the subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host comprises: selecting the subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on respective connection bandwidths of the first physical network ports and the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein selecting the subset of the available communication routes comprises: selecting the subset of the available communication routes by allocating the respective connection bandwidths of the first physical network ports and the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports until the respective connection bandwidths for either the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports are consumed. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for network communications between a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, the instructions comprising instructions for:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the subset of available communication routes is a minimum subset of the available communication routes that fully utilizes all available bandwidth of at least one of the first physical network ports or the second physical network ports. 
 
     
     
       16. The computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein a first communication route in the subset of communication routes is a communication route between a first physical network port and a second physical network port having different connection bandwidths. 
     
     
       17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for network communications between a first host that communicates with a second host through a network, the instructions comprising instructions for:
 broadcasting address resolution requests from a plurality of first physical network ports of the first host to a plurality of second physical network ports of the second host; 
 receiving responses to the address resolution requests from the second physical network ports of the second host, the responses to the address resolution requests including respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the network between the plurality of first physical network ports of the first host and the plurality of second physical network ports of the second host based on the responses to the address resolution requests; 
 selecting a subset of the available communication routes for data transfer via the network between the first host and the second host based on the respective connection bandwidths of the second physical network ports; and 
 transferring data with the second host via the subset of the available communication routes, 
 wherein the network is a storage area network (SAN), the first host is an initiator host and the second host is a storage host that provides storage services for the initiator host via the SAN through a SAN protocol, wherein generating connectivity information comprises: 
 generating connectivity information describing a plurality of available communication routes in the SAN between a plurality of first physical network ports of the initiator host and a plurality of second physical network ports of the storage host that provide storage services for the initiator host via the SAN. 
 
     
     
       18. The computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the first physical ports have different physical addresses and a single network address.