MULTI-PLANE CELL SWITCH FABRIC SYSTEM

• US 20090252168A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alaxala Networks Corporation (Fortinet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alaxala Networks Corporation (Fortinet Inc.)
• Inventors: YAMAMOTO, Mitsuo, KIMURA, Isao, OKUNO, Michitaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,116,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1523 Parallel switch fabric planes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3072 Packet splitting

Abstract

A multi-plane cell switch fabric system prevents a decrease of the effective switching capacity when switching the variable-length packets. Distribution units classify input variable-length packets for each address, arranges the packets by a first division length unit, divides the packets into fixed-length cell payloads by a second division length unit that is an integer multiple being twice or more as large as the first division length unit, and forms a fixed-length cell by providing destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads. The cells are distributed to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the plural switching units. The reordering units classify the cells, reorder the sequential number in an original order, and reassemble the packets by the packet head tail information of the cell.

Claims

1. A multi-plane cell switch fabric system comprising:

a plurality of distribution units corresponding to inputs of the switch fabric system;

a plurality of reordering units corresponding to outputs of the switch fabric system; and

a plurality of switching units each asynchronously performing data switching from the distribution unit to the reordering unit,

wherein the distribution unit includes;

a mechanism that arranges input variable-length packets at a first division length unit classified for each address;

a mechanism that divides the packets into fixed-length cell payloads at a second division length unit that is an integer multiple being twice or more as large as the first division length unit and forms the fixed-length cell by providing, as a cell header, at least destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads; and

a mechanism that distributes the cells to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the switching units, and

the reordering unit includes;

a mechanism that classifies the cells by the source ID of the cell received through the plurality of switching units, and reorders the sequential number in an original order;

a mechanism that reassemble the packets by the packet head tail information of the cell; and

a mechanism that outputs the reassembled packets.

3. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit includes a mechanism that distributes each cell to different switching units one by one even when the cells equal to the number of switching units are not collected in the case where the packets following the second packet of the same address have not reached even after the specified time elapses.

4. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit includes a mechanism that divides multicast packets into unicast packets including a target address and divides the cells when the multicast packets are received as the packets.

5. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution unit includes a mechanism that divides the cells up to the consecutive multicast packets including the same multicast address in the case where the multicast packets are received as the packets and distributes each of the cells to the switching unit one by one even when the cells equal to the number of switching units are not collected.

2. A multi-plane cell switch fabric system comprising:

a plurality of distribution units corresponding to inputs of the switch fabric system;

a plurality of reordering units corresponding to outputs of the switch fabric system; and

a plurality of switching units each asynchronously performing data switching from the distribution unit to the reordering unit,

wherein the distribution unit includes;

a mechanism that divides input variable-length packets into fixed-length cell payloads classified for each address and forms the fixed-length cell by providing, as a cell header at least destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads; and

a mechanism that distributes the cells to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the switching units, and

the reordering unit includes;

a mechanism that classifies the cells by the source ID of the cell received through the plurality of switching units, and reorders the sequential number in an original order;

a mechanism that reassemble the packets by the packet head tail information of the cell; and

a mechanism that outputs the reassembled packets.

6. A multi-plane cell switch fabric system comprising:

a plurality of distribution units corresponding to inputs of the switch fabric system;

a plurality of reordering units corresponding to outputs of the switch fabric system; and

a plurality of switching units each asynchronously performing data switching from the distribution unit to the reordering unit,

wherein the distribution unit includes;

a mechanism that arranges input variable-length packets at a first division length unit classified for each address;

a mechanism that divides the packets into fixed-length cell payloads at a second division length unit that is an integer multiple being twice or more as large as the first division length unit and forms the fixed-length cell by providing, as a cell header, at least destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads; and

a mechanism that distributes the cells to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the switching units.

7. A multi-plane cell switch fabric system comprising:

a plurality of distribution units corresponding to inputs of the switch fabric system;

a plurality of reordering units corresponding to outputs of the switch fabric system; and

a plurality of switching units each asynchronously performing data switching from the distribution unit to the reordering unit,

wherein the distribution unit includes;

a mechanism that divides input variable-length packets into fixed-length cell payloads classified for each address and forms the fixed-length cell by providing, as a cell header at least destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads; and

a mechanism that distributes the cells to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the switching units.

8. A multi-plane cell switch fabric system comprising:

a plurality of distribution units;

a plurality of reordering units; and

a plurality of switching units each asynchronously performing data switching from the distribution units to the reordering units,

wherein the distribution unit classifies input variable-length packets for each address, makes the variable-length packets to the same address one or more cell payloads of fixed-length, forms a fixed-length cell by providing, as a cell header, at least destination information, a source ID, a sequential number, and packet head tail information to each of the cell payloads, and distributes the cells to all the switching units one by one whenever the cells are collected to be the same number as the switching units.

9. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 8, wherein the distribution unit distributes each cell to different switching units one by one even when the cells equal to the number of the plurality of switching units are not collected in the case where the packets following the second packet of the same address have not reached even after the specified time elapses.

10. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 8, wherein the distribution unit divides multicast packets into unicast packets including a target address and divides the cells when the multicast packets are received as the variable-length packets.

11. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 8, wherein the distribution unit divides the cells up to the consecutive multicast packets including the same multicast head and distributes each of the cells to the different switching unit one by one even when the cells equal to the number of switching units are not collected in the case where the multicast packets are received as the variable-length packets.

12. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of reordering units reassembles the packets based on the cell header of the cell received through the plurality of switching units and outputs the reassembled packets.

13. The multi-plane cell switch fabric system according to claim 12, wherein the reordering unit classifies the cells by the source ID of the cell received through the plurality of switching units, reorders the sequential number in an original order and reassembles the packets by the packet head tail information of the cell, and outputs the reassembled packets.