Network switch and components and method of operation

• US 20050232270A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Calvignac, Jean Louis, Siegel, Michael Steven, Verplanken, Fabrice Jean, Heddes, Marco C., Rao, Sridhar, Gallo, Anthony Matteo, Bass, Brian Mitchell, Youngman, Brian Alan
• Application Number:
  US11/152,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20050232270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/205 Quality of Service based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3036 Shared queuing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches

Abstract

A network switch apparatus, components for such an apparatus, and methods of operating such an apparatus in which data flow handling and flexibility is enhanced by the cooperation of a control point and a plurality of interface processors formed on a semiconductor substrate. The control point and interface processors together form a network processor capable of cooperating with other elements including an optional switching fabric device in executing instructions directing the flow of data in a network.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

using a control point function located in a control ;

point processor to generate a guided frame;

using a device driver in said control point processor to send the guided frame to one of a plurality of media interfaces associated with a network processor;

using Medium Access Control hardware in said media interfaces to recover the guided frame;

storing the recovered guided frame in a memory; and

routing said stored guided frame to an entity identified in said guided frame.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of processing said guided frame by said entity according to instruction carried in said guided frame;

and

routing the processed guided frame back to th control point function if required by information carried in the guided frame.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of encapsulating the guided frame with network routing information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the network routing information includes ethernet.

5. A system comprising:

a network processor having N interface processors, N>

1;

a control point processor sub-system operatively coupled to said network processor,

a first function generator operatively positioned within the control point processor, said first function generator generating at least one guided frame with information that gives said control point processor subsystem access to registers and memories under control of said network processor.

6. The system of claim 5 further including at least one second function generator operatively positioned in at least one of the N interface processors, said at least one second function generator generating guided frame to carry control information within the network processor or between the network processor and the control point processor subsystem.

7. The system of claim 5 further including a MAC that generates ethernet fields and encapsulating the guided frame.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the first function generator includes a software driver.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a recording medium on which a computer program is recorded, said computer program including a first module containing code that generates a guided frame; and

a second module containing code that forwards the guided cell.