Appeal No. 2006-1030
Application No. 09/895,233
topological discovery of the cluster and detects individual ports within its fabric. Initially, it
assigns a single base LID but additional LIDs are reserved for each port while a single base LID
is assigned to each port according to the path analysis. Even column 1, lines 11 and 12 of Shah,
indicate that each physical link may support a number of logical or otherwise virtual point-to-
point channels. Communication is stated in the same paragraph to be through packets to the
extent cited in each claim on appeal. The artisan would well appreciate that the lengthy list of
various types of computer networks in the middle of column 2 would have communicated within
each respective network by the use of packet switching concepts. It is stated at column 8,
lines 52 through 55 that “[a] fabric-attached port can be assigned multiple LIDs as per the
InfiniBand specification. Each LID for a port specifies a different path to that port from some
other port on the fabric.”
Because this disclosure in Shah is consistent with and based upon the same background
prior art approaches in InfiniBand, even as recognized by appellants’ arguments that Shah is
disclosed to operate in a virtual environment anyway, the teaching of assigning plural LIDs to
any physical port clearly conveys the concept of each physical element being provided with a
plurality of virtual representations or logical LIDs of that physical element. This is the essence
of the examiner’s position. Moreover, based upon the background discussion of Shah, we
interpret Shah’s teachings as clearly understanding from an artisan’s perspective the noted subnet
manager communication within the network by the use of packets. Therefore, the examiner’s
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