Unified wired and wireless switch architecture

• US 20050066166A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SiNett Corp.
• Original Assignee: SiNett Corp.
• Inventors: Ambe, Shekhar, Kayalackakom, Mathew, Choudhury, Abhijit K., Chin, Ken C.K.
• Application Number:
  US10/884,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066166A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/201 Multicast operation; Broadcast operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]

Abstract

An apparatus provides an integrated single chip solution to solve Switching/Bridging, Security, Access Control, Bandwidth Management—Quality of Service issues, Roaming—Clean Hand off, Anticipatory Load Management, Location Tracking, Support for Revenue Generating Services—Fine grain QoS, Bandwidth Control, Billing and management. The architecture is such that it not only resolves the problems pertinent to WLAN it is also scalable and useful for building a number of useful networking products that fulfill enterprise security in all possible combinations of wired and wireless networking needs.

Claims

1. An apparatus for application in a wired and/or wireless network comprising:

a scalable ingress path;

a scalable egress path;

an aggregator configured to receive packets from ports, configured to provide a stream for the ingress path, configured to receive a stream from the egress path, and configured to output packet data to the ports.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a decryptor block configured to perform decryption of the stream from the ingress path.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

an encryptor block configured to perform encryption of the stream from the egress path.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the scalable ingress path is further configured to determine whether the stream for the ingress path has to undergo decryption.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the scalable ingress path is further configured to determine whether the stream for the ingress path has to undergo authentication.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprises:

a packet memory configured to store data from the stream for the ingress path and to the data stream for the egress path.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprises:

a packet memory scheduler configured to schedule the data from the packet memory to the data stream for the egress path.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scalable egress path is further configured to determine whether the stream for the egress path has to undergo encryption.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scalable egress path is further configured to request that the encryptor block encrypt the stream for the egress path.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the decryptor block or the encryptor block supports IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Encryption algorithms.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the decryptor block or the encryptor block supports IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL authentication algorithms.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the egress path or the ingress path further comprises:

access control logic configured to forward packets based an entry in an access control list.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

drop packets based the entry on the access control list.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

redirect packets based the entry on the access control list.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the packet is redirected to a port.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

modify packets based the entry on the access control list.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the access control logic modifies 802.11p or DiffServ Code Point (DSCP) fields of the packet.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

send the packet to a central processing unit (CPU) or Embedded Processing Engine (EPE) based the entry on the access control list.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

update a counter based the entry on the access control list.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the access control logic is further configured to:

assign a queue identifer to the packet based the entry on the access control list.

21. An method of processing data packets in a wired and/or wireless network comprising:

receiving a packet stream from one or more ports;

providing the packet stream to a scalable ingress path;

storing the packet stream;

outputting the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

determining whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo decryption.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

decrypting the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires decryption.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

determining whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo authentication.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

authenticating the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires authentication.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprises:

scheduling the output of the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprises:

determining whether the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

encrypting the packet stream when the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

encrypting the packet stream for the egress path.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the encryption is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Encryption algorithm.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the authentication is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Authentication algorithm.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

forwarding packets based an entry in an access control list.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

dropping packets based the entry on the access control list.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

redirecting packets based the entry on the access control list.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the packet is redirected to a port.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

modifying packets based the entry on the access control list.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein 802.11p or DiffServ Code Point (DSCP) fields of the packet are modified.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

sending the packet to a central processing unit (CPU) or Embedded Processor Engine (EPE) based the entry on the access control list.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

updating a counter based the entry on the access control list.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

assigning a queue identifier to the packet based the entry on the access control list.

41. A computer-readable medium, encoded with data and instructions, such that when executed by a computer, the instructions causes the computer to:

receive a packet stream from one or more ports;

provide the packet stream to a scalable ingress path;

store the packet stream;

output the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41 further comprising instructions to:

determine whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo decryption.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42 further comprising instructions to:

decrypt the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires decryption.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 further comprising instructions to:

determine whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo authentication.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44 further comprising instructions to:

authenticate the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires authentication.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 45, further comprises instructions to:

schedule the output of the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, further comprises instructions to:

determine whether the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 further comprising instructions to:

encrypt the packet stream when the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the encryption is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Encryption algorithm.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the authentication is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Authentication algorithm.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 48, further comprises instructions to:

forward packets based an entry in an access control list.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, further comprises instructions to:

drop packets based the entry on the access control list.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprises instructions to:

redirect packets based the entry on the access control list.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 53, wherein the packet is redirected to a port.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprises instructions to:

modify packets based the entry on the access control list.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the access control logic modifies 802.11p or DiffServ Code Point (DSCP) fields of the packet.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprises instructions to:

send the packet to a central processing unit (CPU) or Embedded Processor Engine (EPE) based the entry on the access control list.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprises instructions to:

update a counter based the entry on the access control list.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, further comprises instructions to:

assign a queue identifer to the packet based the entry on the access control list.

60. An apparatus of processing data packets in a wired and/or wireless network comprising:

means for receiving a packet stream from one or more ports;

means for providing the packet stream to a scalable ingress path;

means for storing the packet stream;

means for outputting the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

61. The apparatus of claim 60 further comprising:

means for determining whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo decryption.

62. The apparatus of claim 61 further comprising:

means for decrypting the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires decryption.

63. The apparatus of claim 62 further comprising:

means for determining whether the packet stream received from one or more ports has to undergo authentication.

64. The apparatus of claim 63 further comprising:

means for authenticating the packet stream received from one or more ports when the packet stream requires authentication.

65. The apparatus of claim 64, further comprises:

means for scheduling the output of the packet stream to the one or more ports via a scalable egress path.

66. The apparatus of claim 65, further comprises:

means for determining whether the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

67. The apparatus of claim 66 further comprising:

means for encrypting the packet stream when the packet stream in the scalable egress path has to undergo encryption.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the encryption is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Encryption algorithm.

69. The apparatus of claim 68, wherein the authentication is an IPSec, L2TP with IPSec, PPTP, or SSL Authentication algorithm.

70. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the egress path further comprises:

means for forwarding packets based an entry in an access control list.

71. The apparatus of claim 70, further comprising:

means for dropping packets based the entry on the access control list.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising:

means for redirecting packets based the entry on the access control list.

73. The apparatus of claim 72, wherein the packet is redirected to a port.

74. The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising:

means for modifying packets based the entry on the access control list.

75. The apparatus of claim 74, wherein the access control logic modifies 802.11p or DiffServ Code Point (DSCP) fields of the packet.

76. The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising:

means for sending the packet to a central processing unit (CPU) or Embedded Processor Engine (EPE) based the entry on the access control list.

77. The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising:

means for updating a counter based the entry on the access control list.

78. The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising:

assign a queue identifier to the packet based the entry on the access control list.