System and Method for Line Rate Frame Processing Engine Using a Generic Instruction Set

• US 20080215853A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADVA Optical Networking SE (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADVA Optical Networking SE (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woehler, Ralf, Sankey, Wayne, Lane, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,667,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]

Abstract

A system comprises a frame parser and lookup engine operable to receive an incoming data frame, extract control data from payload data in the data frame, and using the control data to access a memory to fetch a plurality of instructions, a destination and tag management module operable to receive the fetched instructions and execute the instructions to transform the data frame control data, and an assemble module operable to assemble the transformed control data and the payload data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a frame parser and lookup engine operable to receive an incoming data frame, extract control data from payload data in the data frame, and access a memory to fetch a plurality of instructions in response to the control data of the data frame;

a destination and tag management module operable to receive the fetched instructions and execute the instructions to transform the data frame control data; and

an assemble module operable to receive the payload data from the frame parser and lookup engine, and the transformed control data from the destination and tag management module, and assemble the transformed control data and the payload data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a CAM having a first pointer pointing to a location in a CAM RAM containing a second pointer pointing to a location in the CAM RAM storing the plurality of instructions.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one frame header register operable to temporarily store at least one control data parsed from at least one data frame.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one condition code register operable to temporarily store at least one set of flags and status bits of the instructions being executed.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory interface module operable to arbitrate access to the memory from a plurality of sources, including the frame parser and lookup engine.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the memory interface module comprises at least one request queue operable to temporarily store memory access requests from the frame parser and lookup engine.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the memory interface module comprises at least one response queue operable to temporarily store memory access results from the memory.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame parser and lookup engine makes multiple memory accesses for each data frame.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data buffer coupled to the frame parser and lookup engine and operable to temporarily store the payload data while the control data is being transformed.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a data frame;

extracting control data from payload data in the data frame;

accessing a memory using the extracted control data and fetching a plurality of instructions;

executing the fetched plurality of instructions and transforming the control data in response to the executed plurality of instructions; and

assemble the transformed control data and the payload data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing an external memory comprises:

looking for a match in a CAM with the extracted control data;

accessing a first pointer in the CAM in response to a match;

accessing a second pointer in a CAM RAM in response to the first pointer; and

accessing a plurality of instructions in the CAM RAM in response to the second pointer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing an external memory comprises:

looking for a match in a first memory with the control data;

accessing a first pointer in the first memory in response to a match;

accessing a second pointer in a second memory in response to the first pointer; and

accessing a plurality of instructions in the second memory in response to the second pointer.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising temporarily storing at least one control data parsed from at least one data frame during the memory access.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising temporarily storing at least one set of flags and status bits of the plurality of instructions being executed.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising arbitrating access to the memory from a plurality of sources.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising temporarily storing memory access requests.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising temporarily storing memory access results from the memory.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing the memory comprises making multiple memory accesses for each data frame.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising temporarily storing the payload data while the control data is being transformed.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein transforming the control data comprises inserting destination information and modifying tag data.

21. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon a method, comprising:

receiving a data frame;

extracting control data from payload data in the data frame;

accessing a memory using the extracted control data and fetching a plurality of instructions;

executing the fetched plurality of instructions and transforming the control data in response to the executed plurality of instructions; and

assemble the transformed control data and the payload data.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein accessing an external memory comprises:

looking for a match in a CAM with the extracted control data;

accessing a first pointer in the CAM in response to a match;

accessing a second pointer in a CAM RAM in response to the first pointer; and

accessing a plurality of instructions in the CAM RAM in response to the second pointer.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein accessing an external memory comprises:

looking for a match in a first memory with the control data;

accessing a first pointer in the first memory in response to a match;

accessing a second pointer in a second memory in response to the first pointer; and

accessing a plurality of instructions in the second memory in response to the second pointer.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising temporarily storing at least one control data parsed from at least one data frame during the memory access.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising temporarily storing at least one set of flags and status bits of the plurality of instructions being executed.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising arbitrating access to the memory from a plurality of sources.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising temporarily storing memory access requests.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising temporarily storing memory access results from the memory.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein accessing the memory comprises making multiple memory accesses for each data frame.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising temporarily storing the payload data while the control data is being transformed.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein transforming the control data comprises inserting destination information and modifying tag data.