Method and apparatus for forwarding of telecommunications traffic
First Claim
1. A telecommunications node with the ability to handle IP-traffic and to terminate telecommunications traffic, which node includes a backplane, which is able to switch IP-packets, at least two device boards, which are connected to the backplane and are associated with the handling of IP-traffic, at least one resource for processing telecommunications traffic, a resource manager, and a distributed forwarding engine functionality, characterized in that the forwarding engine functionality is distributed such that each of said at least two device boards are provided with a forwarding engine;
- in that at least a first device board of said at least two device boards is further provided with at least a first resource of the at least one resource and at least one board internal IP-subnet, having an associated IP subnet address and at least a first associated IP interface address, which IP interface address is based on said IP subnet address, which board internal IP-subnet is associated with the at least one resource; and
in that the resource manager is arranged to perform load distribution within the node by determining that a destination address of a first telecommunications traffic stream is to be based on the IP subnet address associated with the board internal IP-subnet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a telecommunications node (1a) that is able to handle IP-traffic and to terminate telecommunications traffic, which node includes means for simple and effective load distribution between resources (40-43) in the node. The inventive telecommunications node (1a) includes board internal IP-subnets (45, 46) with associated subnet interfaces (45a, 46a) having interface addresses and a distributed forwarding engine structure where every device board (10, 11a, 12a) associated with the handling of IP-traffic is provided with a forwarding engine (20-22). Each board internal IP-subnet (45, 46) is associated with at least one predetermined node resource (40-43) for processing telecommunications traffic, thereby enabling a resource manager (49) to perform load distribution by ordering a destination address for a selected stream of IP-traffic, which is to terminate in the node, to be based on the interface address associated with a selected board internal IP-subnet (45, 46).
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A telecommunications node with the ability to handle IP-traffic and to terminate telecommunications traffic, which node includes
a backplane, which is able to switch IP-packets, at least two device boards, which are connected to the backplane and are associated with the handling of IP-traffic, at least one resource for processing telecommunications traffic, a resource manager, and a distributed forwarding engine functionality, characterized in that the forwarding engine functionality is distributed such that each of said at least two device boards are provided with a forwarding engine; - in that at least a first device board of said at least two device boards is further provided with at least a first resource of the at least one resource and at least one board internal IP-subnet, having an associated IP subnet address and at least a first associated IP interface address, which IP interface address is based on said IP subnet address, which board internal IP-subnet is associated with the at least one resource; and
in that the resource manager is arranged to perform load distribution within the node by determining that a destination address of a first telecommunications traffic stream is to be based on the IP subnet address associated with the board internal IP-subnet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16)
- in that at least a first device board of said at least two device boards is further provided with at least a first resource of the at least one resource and at least one board internal IP-subnet, having an associated IP subnet address and at least a first associated IP interface address, which IP interface address is based on said IP subnet address, which board internal IP-subnet is associated with the at least one resource; and
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10. A method for load distribution within a telecommunications node, which node is able to handle IP-traffic and to terminate telecommunications traffic and which node includes a backplane, which is able to switch IP-packets, and at least two device boards, connected to the backplane, said method including the step of a resource manager of the node determining at least a first resource of the node to be appropriate for processing a first stream of telecommunications traffic, characterized by said method including the further steps of
the resource manager ordering a destination address of said first stream of telecommunications traffic to be based on a first IP subnet address associated with a at least one first board internal IP-subnet, which is located on a first device board of the at least two device boards and which is associated with the first resource; -
a first forwarding engine located on a second device board of the at least two device boards receiving at least one IP-packet associated with the first stream of telecommunications traffic and forwarding the at least one IP-packet, via the backplane, based on the destination address, to a second forwarding engine located on the first device board; and
the second forwarding engine forwarding the at least one IP-packet to the first IP-subnet for further forwarding to the first resource. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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Specification