Per-port penalty queue system for re-prioritization of network traffic sent to a processor

• US 20070183416A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gooch, Mark, LaVigne, Bruce, Faulk, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/350,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20070183416A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9063 Intermediate storage in different physical parts of a node or terminal

Abstract

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system for a per-port penalty queue system in a network device includes: selecting a state for a port in the network device; wherein the selected state comprises either a normal state or a restricted state; wherein the normal state permits a packet received at the port to be copied to a first queue; and wherein the restricted state causes the packet to be copied to a penalty queue which has lower priority than the first queue or causes the packet to not be copied to a queue. In another embodiment of the invention, a method and system permit using the port state for modifying a forwarding decision for a packet, so that the penalized packet will use a sub-optimal or less optimal routing path to the packet destination. In another embodiment of the invention, a method and system permit using the port state as a search key into an access control list (ACL) operation related to packet forwarding decisions or packet filtering decisions.

Claims

1. A method for a per-port penalty queue system in a network device, the method comprising:

selecting a state for a port in the network device;

wherein the selected state comprises either a normal state or a restricted state;

wherein the normal state permits a packet received at the port to be copied to a first queue; and

wherein the restricted state causes the packet to be copied to a penalty queue which has lower priority than the first queue or causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted state comprises a penalty queue state which causes the packet to be copied to the penalty queue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the penalty queue may be set with a lowest priority.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a packet placed in the penalty queue is processed at a lower priority by a processor than another packet placed in the first queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted state comprises a violation disable state which causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted state is set based upon an abnormal traffic condition at the port.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a network switch.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a router.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the state on the receiving port to determine a forwarding decision on the packet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the state of the port receiving the packet as part of a search key into a lookup related to packet forwarding decisions or packet filtering decisions.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

throttling packets that are copied to the penalty queue so that a rate is restricted for the copied packets that are sent to the CPU.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the state of the port receiving the packets so that a restriction is placed on the forwarding of the packets to the packet destinations.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the state of the port receiving the packets, in order to make a new forwarding decision on the packets.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a different path for routing a packet received by a port in the restricted state.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downgrading a Class of Service (CoS) for a packet received by a port in the restricted state, where CoS represents a priority of the packet.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downgrading a Type of Service (ToS) for a packet received by a port in the restricted state, where ToS contains a codepoint value indicating at least one of (1) a priority of the packet and (2) a likelihood that the packet will be discarded when there is link congestion.

17. An apparatus for a per-port penalty queue system, the apparatus comprising:

a network device configured selecting a state for a port in the network device;

wherein the selected state comprises either a normal state or a restricted state;

wherein the normal state permits a packet received at the port of the network device to be copied to a first queue; and

wherein the restricted state causes the packet to be copied to a penalty queue which has lower priority than the first queue or causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the restricted state comprises a penalty queue state which causes the packet to be copied to the penalty queue.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the penalty queue may be set with a lowest priority.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a packet placed in the penalty queue is processed at a lower priority by a processor than another packet placed in the first queue.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the restricted state comprises a violation disable state which causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the restricted state is set based upon an abnormal traffic condition at the port.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device comprises a network switch.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device comprises a router.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device is configured to use the state on the receiving port to determine a forwarding decision on the packet.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device comprises:

a forwarding engine configured to use the state of the port receiving the packet as part of a search key into a lookup related to packet forwarding decisions or packet filtering decisions.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device comprises:

a forwarding engine configured to throttle packets that are copied to the penalty queue so that a rate is restricted for the copied packets that are sent to the CPU.

28. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the network device comprises:

a forwarding engine configured to use the state of the port receiving the packets so that a restriction is placed on the forwarding of the packets to the packet destinations.

29. An apparatus for a per-port penalty queue system in a network device, the apparatus comprising:

means for selecting a state for a port in the network device;

wherein the selected state comprises either a normal state or a restricted state;

wherein the normal state permits a packet received at the port to be copied to a first queue; and

wherein the restricted state causes the packet to be copied to a penalty queue which has lower priority than the first queue or causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.

30. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions to;

select a state for a port in the network device;

wherein the selected state comprises either a normal state or a restricted state;

wherein the normal state permits a packet received at the port to be copied to a first queue; and

wherein the restricted state causes the packet to be copied to a penalty queue which has lower priority than the first queue or causes the packet to not be copied to a queue.