Forwarding system with multiple logical sub-system functionality

• US 20040098505A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyperchip Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hyperchip Incorporated
• Inventors: Clemmensen, Daniel G.
• Application Number:
  US10/299,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers

Abstract

Generation of a mapping for use by a data forwarding entity having communication interfaces and instantiating multiple logical forwarding sub-systems associated with respective mappings including a first mapping and a second mapping. The first mapping specifies a next hop interface for data elements received at the interfaces, at least one next hop interface belonging to a set of logical interfaces. The second mapping specifies a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, at least one second next hop interface belonging to the plurality of communication interfaces. A consolidated mapping is created by replacing each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a second next hop interface. Efficiency arises when the same data is processed by more than one logical forwarding sub-system in the same physical forwarding system.

Claims

1. A method of generating a mapping for use by a data forwarding entity having a plurality of communication interfaces, comprising:

a) receiving a first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one next hop interface belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

b) receiving a second mapping specifying a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

c) generating a consolidated mapping from the first and second mappings by replacing each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a second next hop interface.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one other next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces and wherein generating the consolidated mapping further includes retaining each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the plurality of communication interfaces.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing the consolidated mapping in a memory.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

d) receiving a data element at one of the communication interfaces;

e) accessing the consolidated mapping to determine a next hop interface associated with each data element received at the communication interfaces;

f) forwarding the received data element to the next hop interface determined at e).

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising determining at least one characteristic of the received data element, wherein accessing the consolidated mapping includes identifying a portion of the consolidated mapping that specifies a next hop interface associated with the at least one characteristic of the received data element.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with a source address, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the source address associated with the particular received data element.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with a source address, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the source address associated with the particular received data element.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with a destination address, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the destination associated with the particular received data element.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with a priority level, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the priority level associated with the particular received data element.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with an age, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the age associated with the particular received data element.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the communication interface at which the particular received data element was received.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein each received data element is associated with a connection having a connection state, wherein the next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping for a particular received data element is a function of the connection state of the connection associated with the particular received data element.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first mapping further associates a corresponding first action to each data element received at one of the communication interfaces.

14. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the second mapping further associates a corresponding second action to certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the logical interfaces.

15. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the consolidated mapping further associates a corresponding third action to each data element received at one of the communication interfaces, wherein the corresponding third action is the corresponding first action if the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the communication interfaces and wherein the corresponding third action is a composition of the corresponding first and second actions if the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the logical interfaces.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the communication interfaces include control interfaces.

17. A data forwarding apparatus, comprising:

a) a plurality of communication interfaces at which data elements are received by the apparatus;

b) a memory for storing a first mapping, a second mapping and a consolidated mapping;

i) the first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one next hop interface belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

ii) the second mapping specifying a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

iii) the consolidated mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein no next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces;

c) a processing entity connected to said physical interfaces and said memory, said processing entity being capable of;

i) generating the consolidated mapping from the first and second mappings by replacing each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a second next hop interface;

ii) accessing the consolidated mapping to determine a next hop interface associated with each data element received at the communication interfaces;

iii) forwarding the received data element to the next hop interface determined at ii).

18. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the first mapping further associates a corresponding first action to each data element received at one of the communication interfaces.

19. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the second mapping further associates a corresponding second action to certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the logical interfaces

20. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein the consolidated mapping further associates a corresponding third action to each data element received at one of the communication interfaces, wherein the corresponding third action is the corresponding first action if the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the communication interfaces and wherein the corresponding third action is a composition of the corresponding first and second actions if the next hop interface specified by the first mapping is one of the logical interfaces.

21. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising a plurality of line cards amongst which the communication interfaces are distributed.

22. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 21, further comprising a plurality of physical data ports distributed amongst the line cards.

23. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein each of the communication interfaces is one of the physical data ports.

24. A data forwarding apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein plural ones of the communication interfaces share a common one of the physical data ports.

25. A memory for storing data for access by an application program being executed on a data processing system having a plurality of communication interfaces, comprising:

a) a data structure stored in the memory, said data structure including information regarding a first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one next hop interface belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

g) said data structure including information regarding a second mapping specifying a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

h) said data structure including information regarding a consolidated mapping created from the first and second mappings by replacing each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a second next hop interface.

26. Computer-readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a data forwarding apparatus to perform a method of generating a mapping, the data forwarding entity having a plurality of communication interfaces, the method comprising:

a) receiving a first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one next hop interface belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

b) receiving a second mapping specifying a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

c) generating a consolidated mapping from the first and second mappings by replacing each portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a second next hop interface.

27. A method of generating a mapping for use by a data forwarding entity having a plurality of communication interfaces, comprising:

a) receiving a first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one of the plurality of next hop interfaces specified for at least one of the certain ones of the received data elements belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

b) receiving a second mapping specifying a plurality of second next hop interfaces for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

c) generating a consolidated mapping from the first and second mappings by replacing at least one portion of the first mapping that specifies a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by a corresponding portion of the second mapping that specifies a plurality of second next hop interfaces.

28. A data forwarding apparatus, comprising:

a) a plurality of communication interfaces at which data elements are received by the apparatus;

b) a memory for storing a first mapping, a second mapping, a third mapping and a consolidated mapping;

i) the first mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein at least one next hop interface belongs to a set of logical interfaces;

ii) the second mapping specifying a second next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one second next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

iii) the third mapping specifying a third next hop interface for certain data elements for which the next hop interface specified by the first mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces, wherein at least one third next hop interface belongs to the plurality of communication interfaces;

iv) the consolidated mapping specifying a next hop interface for data elements received at the communication interfaces, wherein no next hop interface specified by the consolidated mapping belongs to the set of logical interfaces;

c) a processing entity connected to said physical interfaces and said memory, said processing entity being capable of;

i) generating the consolidated mapping from the first, second and third mappings by replacing certain portions of the first mapping that specify a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by corresponding portions of the second mapping that specify a second next hop interface and by replacing certain portions of the first mapping that specify a next hop interface belonging to the set of logical interfaces by corresponding portions of the third mapping that specify a third next hop interface;

ii) accessing the consolidated mapping to determine a next hop interface associated with each data element received at the communication interfaces;

iii) forwarding the received data element to the next hop interface determined at ii).