DISTRIBUTED EDGE NETWORK

• US 20080025290A1
• Filed: 12/24/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: BARKAI, SHARON
• Application Number:
  US11/615,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20080025290A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A router includes a least a portion of mailboxes assigned to services carried on a network and an external interface unit. The external interface unit writes incoming data to mailboxes of the network and enables customers to read from each mailbox assigned to their services. A mailbox unit includes a multiplicity of mailboxes, each storing data for a service provided over a network, and a unit to manage buffering and quality of service requirements of the mailboxes and their existence.

Claims

1. A router comprising:

at least a portion of mailboxes assigned to services carried on a network; and

an external interface unit to write incoming data to mailboxes of said network and to enable customers to read from each mailbox assigned to their services.

2. The router according to claim 1 and wherein each said mailbox is defined by the buffering and quality of service requirements of its associated service.

3. The router according to claim 2 and wherein qualities of each said mailbox are defined in a table of services for said network.

4. The router according to claim 3 and wherein said router includes means for receiving said qualities from network service management tables.

5. The router according to claim 4 and wherein said network service management tables list at least the router of said network where each said mailbox is stored.

6. The router according to claim 4 and wherein each said mailbox is stored in a router located generally close to one of the following:

the destination of its associated service and source of its associated service.

7. The router according to claim 4 and wherein said portion are stored in a mailbox unit of said router and wherein said mailbox unit comprises a management unit at least to instantiate mailboxes per said network service management tables in the presence of network activity.

8. The router according to claim 7 and wherein said network activity is one of the following actions:

DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) registration and IGMP (IP group management protocol) registration.

9. The router according to claim 1 and wherein said external interface unit comprises writing means to write said incoming data to at least one mailbox stored in one of a local mailbox unit and a remote mailbox unit within said network.

10. The router according to claim 9 and wherein said writing means performs three operations, a read operation of a header of said incoming data, a hash operation on an address of said incoming data to generate a mailbox address and a write operation of said incoming data to said mailbox address.

11. The router according to claim 9 and wherein said writing means includes one of a DMA (direct memory access) and an rDMA (remote DMA) unit.

12. The router according to claim 9 and wherein said writing means includes means to write a large datastream to one mailbox in each said mailbox unit of said network.

13. The router according to claim 1 and wherein said external interface unit comprises means to read from at least one mailbox stored in one of a local mailbox unit and a remote mailbox unit within said network.

14. The router according to claim 1 and wherein said services comprise at least one of the following types of services:

point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint.

15. The router according to claim 1 and wherein said external interface unit comprises means to generate a local mailbox with qualities of a global mailbox for services which allow roaming.

16. A mailbox unit comprising:

a multiplicity of mailboxes, each storing data for a service provided over a network; and

means for managing buffering and quality of service requirements of said mailboxes and their existence.

17. The unit according to claim 16 and wherein said services comprise at least one of the following types of services:

point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint.

18. The unit according to claim 16 and wherein qualities of each said mailbox are defined in a table of services for said network.

19. The unit according to claim 16 and wherein said unit includes means for receiving said qualities from network service management tables.

20. The unit according to claim 19 and wherein said network service management tables list at least the router of said network where each said mailbox is stored.

21. The unit according to claim 19 and also comprising a management unit at least to instantiate mailboxes per said network service management tables in the presence of network activity.

22. The unit according to claim 21 and wherein said network activity is one of the following actions:

DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) registration and IGMP (IP group management protocol) registration.