NETWORK DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR NETWORKING

• US 20150043593A1
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arista Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Boobera Lagoon Technology LLC
• Inventors: Snowdon, David Charles Ambler, Thomas, Charles Nicholas Alexander, McDaid, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,819,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/00 Packet switching elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/10 characterised by the switching fabric construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/111 Switch interfaces, e.g. port details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/112 Switch control, e.g. arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/254 Centralised controller, i.e. arbitration or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/30 Peripheral units, e.g. input or output ports

Abstract

A networking device including a plurality of client ports arranged for communicating with a plurality of clients, a service port arranged for communicating with a machine arranged to communicate with the plurality of clients, and networking componentry arranged to communicate electromagnetic communications between the plurality of client ports and the service port.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

a plurality of client ports arranged for communicating with a plurality of clients;

a service port arranged for communicating with a machine arranged to communicate with the plurality of clients; and

networking componentry arranged to communicate electromagnetic communications between the plurality of client ports and the service port.

2. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein the networking componentry comprises a unidirectional network arranged to unidirectionally communicate an electromagnetic communication received by any one of the plurality of client ports to the service port.

3. A networking device defined claim 2 wherein the unidirectional network comprises a plurality of client port receivers, each of the plurality of client ports have a respective one of the client port receivers, and the unidirectional network comprises a multiway switch arranged to control which one of the plurality of client port receivers is in communication with the service port.

4. A networking device defined by claim 3 wherein the multiway switch comprises a 1-pole multiway (1×

N) switch, the 1 pole of the multiway switch being in communication with a service port transmitter.

5. A networking device defined by claim 4 wherein each way of the multiway switch is in communication with only one of the plurality of client port receivers at a time.

6. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 2 to 5 wherein the networking componentry comprises a scheduler arranged to control which way of the multiway switch is connected to the 1-pole.

7. A networking device defined by claim 6 wherein the scheduler is a first-in-first-out scheduler.

8. A networking device defined by either one of claim 6 and claim 7 wherein the scheduler is in communication with the plurality of client ports.

9. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 2 to 8 wherein the unidirectional network comprises a plurality of client port buffers.

10. A networking device defined by claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of client port buffers may be arranged to exclusively cooperate with a respective one of the plurality of client port receivers.

11. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 2 to 10 wherein the networking componentry comprises another unidirectional network arranged to communicate another electromagnetic communication received by the service port to at least one of the plurality of client ports.

12. A networking device defined by claim 11 wherein the other unidirectional network comprises a common bus.

13. A networking device defined by claim 12 wherein the common bus is electromagnetically disposed between the plurality of client ports and the service port.

14. A networking device defined by either one of claim 12 and claim 13 wherein the common bus is arranged to broadcast the other electromagnetic communication from the service port at the plurality of client port transmitters.

15. A networking device defined by claim 14 wherein the other unidirectional network comprises a service port buffer.

16. A network defined by claim 15 wherein the service port buffer is electromagnetically disposed between a service port receiver and the common bus.

17. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 11 to 16 wherein the other unidirectional network may comprise a plurality of client port transmitters, each of the plurality of client ports having a respective one of the client port transmitters.

18. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the networking componentry is arranged to block electromagnetic communications between the plurality of client ports.

19. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the client port receiver of any one of the client ports is electromagnetically isolated from the client port transmitter of any of the other client ports.

20. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the networking componentry is arranged to associate filter information with each of the plurality of client ports, and arranged to communicate the other electromagnetic communication received by the service port to those of the plurality of client ports that have associated filter information indicated by the electromagnetic message.

21. A networking device defined by claim 20 wherein the networking componentry is arranged to extract filter information from the other electromagnetic message.

22. A networking device defined by claim 21 wherein the networking componentry is arranged to compare the extracted filter information with the filter information associated with the ports.

23. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 20 to 22 wherein each of the plurality of client ports may have associated filter information stored thereat.

24. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 20 to 23 wherein the filter information comprises at least one of a MAC address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address, IP port identification information, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port identification information, and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port identification information.

25. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 20 to 24 wherein the networking componentry comprises a plurality of electromagnetic communication filters that each have associated filter information.

26. A networking device defined by claim 25 wherein each of the plurality of client ports is operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters.

27. A networking device defined by claim 26 wherein each of the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters is at a respective one of the plurality of client ports.

28. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 25 and 27, wherein the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters are arranged to communicate the other electromagnetic communication received by the service port to only those of the plurality of client ports that have associated filter information indicated by the other electromagnetic communication.

29. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 25 to 28 wherein the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters each comprise at least one of a Media Access Control (MAC) filter, an Internet protocol (IP) filter, an IP filter, a TCP filter, and a UDP port filer.

30. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 20 to 29 wherein the networking componentry associates with each of the plurality of client ports filter information unique to each of the plurality of client ports.

31. A networking device defined by any one of the claims 20 to 30 wherein the networking componentry associates filter information with more than one of the plurality of client ports that is the same for each of the more than one of the plurality of client ports.

32. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the networking componentry comprises at least one logic device.

33. A networking device defined by claim 32 wherein the at least one logic device comprises a programmable logic device.

34. A networking device defined by claim 33 wherein the at least one logic device comprises at least one of a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device and an application specific integrated circuit.

35. A network device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one of the unidirectional network, the other unidirectional network, the multiway switch, the plurality of client port buffers, the service port buffer, the plurality of electromagnetic message filters, and the scheduler is integral to the at least one logic device.

36. A network device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the networking componentry comprises optics.

37. A network device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the networking componentry comprises optoelectronics.

38. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims wherein the scheduler, the plurality of client port transmitters, the multiway switch, and the service port transmitter are synchronized by a clock signal.

39. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims comprising a communication control system arranged to send via one of the plurality of client ports a command to at least one of pause and stop transmission to the networking device to prevent information loss when the device is approaching capacity.

40. A networking device defined by any one of the preceding claims comprising another communication control system arranged to send via the service port a command to at least one of pause and stop transmission to the networking device to prevent information loss when the device is approaching capacity.

41. A method for networking comprising the steps of:

communicating electromagnetic communications between a plurality of client ports arranged for communication with a plurality of clients and a service port arranged for communication with a machine arranged to communicate with the plurality of clients.

42. A method defined by claim 41 comprising the step of blocking electromagnetic communications between the plurality of client ports.

43. A method defined by either one of claim 41 and claim 42 wherein the method comprises the step of communicating an electromagnetic communication received by any one of the plurality of client ports via a unidirectional network to the service port.

44. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 43 comprising the step of controlling which one of the plurality of client ports is in communication with the service port.

45. A method defined by claim 44 comprising the step of scheduling the order in which the plurality of client ports are in communication with the service port.

46. A method defined by claim 45 wherein the step of scheduling comprises first-in-first-out scheduling.

47. A method defined by either one of claim 45 and claim 46 comprising the step of synchronizing the step of controlling, the step of scheduling and a step of sending the electromagnetic communications from the service port to a clock signal.

48. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 47 comprising the step of each of a plurality of client port buffers exclusively cooperating with the respective one of a plurality of client port receivers.

49. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 48 comprising the step of communicating another electromagnetic communication received by the service port to at least one of the plurality of client ports via another unidirectional network.

50. A method defined by claim 49 wherein the step of communicating the other electromagnetic communications via the other unidirectional network comprises the step of broadcasting the other electromagnetic communication.

51. A method defined by claim 50 wherein the method comprises buffering the other electromagnetic communication.

52. A method defined by any one of the claims 49 to 51 comprising the step of communicating the other electromagnetic communication received by the service port to those of the plurality of client ports that have associated filter information indicated by the electromagnetic message.

53. A method defined by any one of the claims 49 to claim 52 when dependent on claim 47 comprising the step of synchronizing sending the other electromagnetic communication from any one of the plurality of client ports to the clock.

54. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 53 comprising the step of associating filter information with each of the plurality of client ports.

55. A method defined by claim 54 comprising the step of associating with each of the plurality of client ports information unique to each of the plurality of client ports.

56. A method defined by claim 54 comprising the step of associating identical filter information with more than one of the plurality of client ports.

57. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 56 comprising the step of sending via one of the plurality of client ports a command to at least one of pause and stop transmission.

58. A method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 57 comprising the step of sending via the service port a command to at least one of pause and stop transmission.

59. A method defined by any one of the claims 53 to 58 comprising the step of extracting filter data indicative of filter information from the other electromagnetic communication, and comparing the filter data extracted from the other electromagnetic communication with filter information associated with the ports.

60. Processor readable tangible media including program instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute the method define by any one of the claims 41 to 59.

61. A program for instructing a processor, which when executed by the processor causes the processor to execute the method defined by any one of the claims 41 to 59.