Transmitting packets between packet controller and network processor

• US 20040165613A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Jong-Sang, Kim, Su-Hyun, Choe, Byung-Gu
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/463
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9031 Wraparound memory, e.g. overrun or underrun detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9063 Intermediate storage in different physical parts of a node or terminal

Abstract

An apparatus adapted to transmit and receive a packet between a network processor and a packet controller includes: the packet controller receiving an input packet from an input interface; a packet buffer storing and delivering the input packet the received input packet in response to a request from the network processor; a packet queue delivering information for the stored input packet from the packet controller to the network processor; and the network processor receiving a packet from the packet buffer and delivering the packet to an output interface using information for the input packet from the packet queue.

Claims

1. An apparatus adapted to transmit and receive a packet between a network processor and a packet controller, the apparatus comprising:

an input interface adapted to receive an input packet and to deliver the received input packet to the packet controller;

a packet buffer adapted to receive the received input packet from the packet controller, store the received input packet from the packet controller, and to deliver the stored input packet to a network processor in response to a request from the network processor;

a packet queue adapted to deliver information for the input packet stored in the packet buffer from the packet controller to the network processor; and

an output interface, the network processor adapted to receive a packet from the packet buffer, and to deliver the packet to the output interface, using information for the input packet delivered by the packet queue.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packet queue comprises a circular first in first out packet queue.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packet buffer is further adapted to store a packet header extension field when storing one input packet.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information for the input packet comprises a packet descriptor index field for representing a packet position within the packet buffer and a packet length field for representing packet size information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field defines a storage area of the packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor upon packet processing.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to a difference between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein information for the input packet comprises a packet descriptor index field for representing a packet position within the packet buffer and a packet length field for representing packet size information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field defines a storage area of the packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor upon packet processing.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to a difference between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

12. A method adapted to transmit and receive a packet between a network processor and a packet controller, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from an external input interface through the packet controller,

storing the received packet;

queuing information of the stored packet;

delivering the queued information to the network processor;

receiving the stored packet, in the network processor, using the delivered queued information;

performing an interface conversion process for the received packet in the network processor, and

delivering the converted received packet to an output interface.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein performing the interface conversion process in the network processor further comprises:

checking, in the network processor, whether or not an input interface for the received packet and an output interface for the received packet are the same;

outputting a relevant packet if the input and output interfaces are the same;

changing a header of the packet into a header suitable for the output interface if the input and output interfaces are different from each other; and

outputting the header suitable for the output interface.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein storing the packet further comprises storing a packet header extension field.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

27. A program storage device, readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method adapted to transmit and receive a packet between a network processor and a packet controller, the method comprising:

receiving a packet from an external input interface through the packet controller,

storing the received packet;

queuing information of the stored packet;

delivering the queued information to the network processor;

receiving the stored packet, in the network processor, using the delivered queued information;

performing an interface conversion process for the received packet in the network processor, and

delivering the converted received packet to an output interface.

28. The program storage device according to claim 27, wherein performing the interface conversion process in the network processor further comprises:

checking, in the network processor, whether or not an input interface for the received packet and an output interface for the received packet are the same;

outputting a relevant packet if the input and output interfaces are the same;

changing a header of the packet into a header suitable for the output interface if the input and output interfaces are different from each other; and

outputting the header suitable for the output interface.

29. The program storage device according to claim 27, wherein storing the packet further comprises storing a packet header extension field.

30. The program storage device according to claim 28, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

31. The program storage device according to claim 27, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

32. The program storage device according to claim 29, wherein information for the packet stored during the queuing of the information, comprises a packet descriptor index field representing an area where a packet is stored and a packet length field representing packet size information.

33. The program storage device according to claim 30, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

34. The program storage device according to claim 33, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

35. The program storage device according to claim 34, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

36. The program storage device according to claim 29, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

37. The program storage device according to claim 36, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

38. The program storage device according to claim 37, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.

39. The program storage device according to claim 32, wherein a packet descriptor represented by the packet descriptor index field is a storage area of a packet buffer where part of information of an input packet is recorded, for storing information frequently accessed by the network processor during packet processing.

40. The program storage device according to claim 39, wherein the packet descriptor comprises a “

Startofpktoffset”

field as to a header change due to differences between the input interface and the output interface, representing a changed value for a starting position changing according to a header size change upon a header change between the input and output interfaces.

41. The program storage device according to claim 40, wherein the changed value recorded on the “

Startofpktoffset”

field is obtained by adding a size difference between a header size of an IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version

     4) and a header size of an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version

     6) upon tunneling from an IPv4 network to an IPv6 network.