Network application apparatus

• US 20060010207A1
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Crossbeam Systems Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Justus, Stephen D., Akerman, Moisey
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5033 considering data affinity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus and method to distribute applications and services in and throughout a network. The apparatus includes the functionality of a switch with the ability to apply applications and services to received data according to respective subscriber profiles. Front-end processors, or Network Processor Modules (NPMs), receive and recognize data flows from subscribers, extract profile information for the respective subscribers, utilize flow scheduling techniques to forward the data to applications processors, or Flow Processor Modules (FPMs). The FPMs utilize resident applications to process data received from the NPMs. A Control Processor Module (CPM) facilitates applications processing and maintains connections to the NPMs, FPMs, local and remote storage devices, and a Management Server (MS) module that can monitor the health and maintenance of the various modules. In an embodiment, the MS can download and otherwise control applications on the FPMs that execute the Linux operating system to provide an open architecture for downloading, executing, modifying, and otherwise managing applications.

Claims

1. A network apparatus, comprising,

at least one flow processor module having at least one processor and at least one memory for storing applications for execution by the at least one processor,

at least one network processor module having at least one processor, at least one interface to receive data from and transmit data to the network, and instructions to cause the at least one processor to recognize a data request for processing by the applications in the flow processor module memories, and to forward the data request to a flow processor module capable of processing the data according to the data request, and,

at least one control processor module in communication with the flow processor modules and the network processor modules, and having at least one processor, and instructions for causing the at least one processor to manage the applications in the flow processor module memories.

2. A network apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control processor module instructions for causing the at least one processor to manage the applications in the flow processor module memories further include instructions to cause the control processor module to perform at least one of,

downloading applications to the flow processor module memories, and

deleting applications from the flow processor module memories.

3. A network apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a management server module in communication with the control processor module and having at least one processor.

4. A network apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the management server module further includes instructions for causing the at least one management server processor to cause the control processor module to perform at least one of,

downloading applications from the management server module to the flow processor module memories, and

deleting applications from the flow processor module memories.

5. A network apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a local memory device coupled to the control processor module.

6. A network apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a remote memory device coupled to the control processor module.

7. A network apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control processor module further includes instructions to cause the at least one control processor module processor to transfer data between a management server module and the flow processor modules.

8. A network apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one storage device coupled to the at least one flow processor module.

9. A network apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one storage device coupled to the at least one network processor module.

10. A network apparatus, comprising,

at least one flow processor module, having,

at least one processor, and

at least one memory to store applications for execution by the at least one processor, and,

a first network processor module having at least one processor, at least one interface to receive data from and transmit data to the network, and instructions to cause the at least one processor to recognize a data request for processing by the applications in the flow processor module memories, and to forward the data request to a flow processor module capable of processing the data according to the data request, and,

a first control processor module in communication with the first network processor module and the flow processor modules, and having,

at least one processor, and,

instructions for causing the at least one processor to manage the applications in the flow processor module memories.

11. A network apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising,

a management server module in communication with the control processor module, and having at least one processor with instructions to manage the applications on the flow processor modules.

12. A network apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a first control plane to couple the first network processor module, the flow processor modules, and the first control processor module.

13. A network apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a distinct second control plane to couple the first network processor module, the flow processor modules, and the first control processor module.

14. A network apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising,

a distinct second network processor module coupled to the first control plane and the second control plane, and having at least one processor, at least one interface to receive data from and transmit data to the network, and instructions to cause the processor to recognize a data request for processing by the applications in the flow processor module memories, and to forward the data request to a flow processor module capable of processing the data according to the data request,

a distinct second control processor module coupled to the first control plane, the distinct second control plane, and the management server module, and having at least one processor.

15. A network apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a local memory device that is coupled to the first control processor module.

16. A network apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a local memory device that is coupled to the first control processor module and the second control processor module.

17. A network apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a remote memory device that is coupled to the first control processor module.

18. A network apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a high speed data link to couple the remote memory device to the first control processor module.

19. A network apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a remote memory device that is coupled to the first control processor module and the second control processor module.

20. A network apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a high speed data link to couple the remote memory device to the first control processor module and the second control processor module.

21. A network apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a high speed data link to couple the management server module to the first control processor module.

22. A network apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising,

a management server module in communication with the control processor module, and having a processor with instructions to manage the applications on the flow processor modules, and,

a high speed data link to couple the management server module to the first control processor module and the second control processor module.

23. A network apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the management server module further comprises a processor and instructions for causing the processor to transmit and receive data from the first control processor module.

24. A network apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the management server module is a personal computer.

25. A network apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the management server module further includes instructions to receive health and maintenance data from the first network processor module, the flow processor modules, and the first control processor module.

26. A method for distributing applications in a network, comprising,

receiving data from the network at a network device,

identifying at least one application to apply to the data,

processing the data according to the identified applications, and,

forwarding the processed data from the network device.

27. A method according to claim 26, further comprising applying policy to the data.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein identifying at least one application further comprises utilizing a hash table to associate the data to at least one application.

29. A method according to claim 26, wherein identifying at least one application further comprises,

associating a subscriber profile with the data, and,

selecting at least one application based on the subscriber profile.

30. A method according to claim 26, wherein processing the data according to the identified applications further comprises directing the data to at least one processor for executing the identified applications.

31. A method according to claim 30, further including configuring the processors for the identified applications.

32. A method according to claim 26, further including selecting at least one processor based on the applications.

33. A method according to claim 26, further including selecting at least one processor based on processor loading.

34. A method according to claim 26, further including selecting at least one processor based on applying a policy to the data.

35. A method according to claim 26, wherein identifying at least one application to apply to the data further comprises,

identifying the data source, and,

retrieving an application profile based on the data source.

36. A method according to claim 26, wherein forwarding the processed data from the network device further includes, forwarding the processed data to the network.

37. A method according to claim 26, wherein forwarding the processed data from the network device includes forwarding the processed data to a storage device.

38. A method according to claim 26, further including determining a destination to forward the processed data.

39. A method according to claim 26, further comprising providing applications to processors at the network device.

40. A method according to claim 39, wherein providing applications to processors at the network device further includes downloading applications to processors from at least one of a remote processor and storage device.

41. A method for managing applications on a network apparatus, comprising,

providing at least one flow processor module having at least one processor and at least one memory for storing applications,

providing at least one network processor module connected to the flow processor module, having at least one processor and instructions for,

recognizing a data request for processing by the applications on the flow processor modules, and,

transferring data requests to flow processor modules capable of processing the data request, and,

connecting a control processor module to the flow processor module and the network processor, the control processor module in communication with the flow processor module and the network processor module, and having at least one processor and instructions for causing the processor to perform at leas one of,

deleting applications from the flow processor modules, and,

storing applications to the flow processor modules.

42. A method according to claim 41, further comprising,

providing a management server module in communications with the control processor module, the management server module having a processor and instructions for controlling the applications on the flow processor modules.

43. A method according to claim 41, wherein providing at least one network processor module further includes providing processor instructions for,

receiving data from the network,

processing data from the network,

receiving processed data from the flow processor modules, and,

transferring the processed data to a network destination.

44. A method according to claim 41, providing at least one network processor module further includes providing processor instructions for forwarding received data to a network destination.

45. A method according to claim 41, wherein connecting a control processor module further includes providing instructions for causing the processor to perform processing of data requests from the network processor module.