System and method for port mapping in a communications network switch

• US 20090180471A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Magret, Vincent, Bohra, Subash, Valentine, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,969,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1507 Distribute and route fabrics, e.g. sorting-routing or Batcher-Banyan
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/354 for supporting virtual local area networks [VLAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches

Abstract

System and method for implementing a port mapping technique in a switch of a communications network, wherein the switch includes a plurality of ports including user ports and network ports, are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises identifying a first portion of the ports as user ports; identifying a second portion of the ports as network ports; assigning a plurality of the user ports to a first session; and preventing user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a port mapping technique in a switch of a communications network, the switch comprising a plurality of ports including user ports and network ports, the method comprising:

identifying a first portion of the ports as user ports;

identifying a second portion of the ports as network ports;

assigning a plurality of the user ports to a first session; and

preventing user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising permitting the user ports assigned to the first session to interact with ports not assigned to the first session as long as none of the network ports is assigned to the first session.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning one of the network ports to the first session; and

preventing the user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with network ports other than the network port assigned to the first session.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a plurality of the user ports to a second session; and

preventing the network ports assigned to the second session from interacting with one another.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a plurality of the network ports to the first session.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first session is a unidirectional session, the method further comprising permitting the network ports assigned to the first session to interact with one another.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first session is a bidirectional session, the method further comprising preventing the network ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the preventing user ports assigned to the same session from interacting with one another comprises preventing a packet received by the switch at a first one of the user ports assigned to a session from being transmitted from the switch via a second one of the user ports assigned to the same session.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user ports are connectable to user devices.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the network ports are connectable to other switches in the communications network.

11. A method of implementing a port mapping technique in a switch of a communications network, the switch comprising a plurality of ports, the method comprising:

identifying a first portion of the ports as user ports;

identifying a second portion of the ports as network ports;

assigning a plurality of the user ports to a first session;

preventing user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another; and

permitting the user ports assigned to the first session to interact with ports not assigned to the first session as long as none of the network ports is assigned to the first session.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

assigning one of the network ports to the first session; and

preventing the user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with network ports other than the network port assigned to the first session.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising assigning a plurality of the network ports to the first session.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first session is a unidirectional session, the method further comprising permitting the network ports assigned to the first session to interact with one another.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the first session is a bidirectional session, the method further comprising preventing the network ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

16. A system for implementing a port mapping technique in a switch of a communications network, the switch comprising user ports for connecting to user devices and network ports for connecting to network devices, the system comprising:

means for assigning a plurality of the user ports to a first session; and

means for preventing user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for permitting the user ports assigned to the first session to interact with user ports and network ports that are not assigned to the first session as long as none of the network ports is assigned to the first session.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the means for preventing and means for permitting comprise entries in a bitmap table for the switch.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for assigning one of the network ports to the first session; and

means for preventing the user ports assigned to the first session from interacting with network ports other than the network port assigned to the first session.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for assigning a plurality of the user ports to a second session; and

means for preventing the user ports assigned to the second session from communicating with one another.

21. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for assigning a plurality of the network ports to the first session.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the first session is a unidirectional session, the system further comprising means for permitting the network ports assigned to the first session to interact with one another.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the first session is a bidirectional session, the system further comprising means for preventing the network ports assigned to the first session from interacting with one another.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the means for preventing user ports assigned to the same session from interacting with one another comprises means for preventing a packet received by the switch at a first one of the user ports assigned to a session from being transmitted from the switch via a second one of the user ports assigned to the same session.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein the means for preventing comprises an entry in a bitmap table for the switch.