NETWORK DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR NETWORKING

• US 20180026915A1
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Published: 01/25/2018
• 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 10,623,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 received by the service port to at least one of the plurality of client port;

wherein the networking componentry is arranged to associate filter information with each of the plurality of client ports, and arranged to communicate each of the plurality of electromagnetic communications received by the service port to those of the plurality of client ports that have associated filter information indicated by the electromagnetic communication.

22. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein the networking componentry comprises a common bus.

23. A networking device defined by claim 22 wherein the common bus is arranged to broadcast the plurality of electromagnetic communication from the service port at the plurality of client ports.

24. A networking device defined by claim 1 comprising a service port buffer that is electrically disposed between a service port and the common bus.

25. A networking device defined by claim 1 comprising a plurality of client port transmitters, each of the plurality of client ports having a respective one of the plurality of client port transmitters.

26. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein the networking componentry is arranged to extract filter information from the plurality of electromagnetic communications.

27. A networking device defined by claim 26 wherein the networking componentry is arranged to compare the extracted filter information with the filter information associated with the ports.

28. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of client ports may have associated filter information stored thereat.

29. A networking device defined by claim 1 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.

30. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein the networking componentry comprises a plurality of electromagnetic communication filters that each have associated filter information.

31. A networking device defined by claim 30 wherein each of the plurality of client ports is operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters.

32. A networking device defined by claim 30 wherein each of the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters is at a respective one of the plurality of client ports.

33. A networking device defined by claim 30, wherein the plurality of electromagnetic communication filters is arranged to communicate each of the plurality of electromagnetic communications received by the service port to only those of the plurality of client ports that have associated filter information indicated by the electromagnetic communication.

34. A networking device defined by claim 30 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.

35. A networking device defined by claim 26 wherein the networking componentry associates with each of the plurality of client ports filter information unique to each of the plurality of client ports.

36. A networking device defined by claim 1 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.

37. A networking device defined by claim 1 wherein the networking componentry comprises at least one logic device.

38. A networking device defined by claim 1 comprising a 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 networking device is approaching capacity.

2-21. -21. (canceled)