Message-routing apparatus
First Claim
1. A message-routing apparatus for routing messages between a plurality of communications arrangements, each said message including a destination address at least when received at said message-routing apparatus, said apparatus comprising a plurality of interface units each operative to receive and/or transmit messages over an associated one of said communications arrangements, a shared routing manager, and internal communication means inter-communicating the shared routing manager with the interface units, said shared routing manager providing a shared facility to said interface units for routing messages received by said units, on the basis of their respective destination addresses, to appropriate ones of said units for onward transmission over the associated communications arrangement, each said unit including a local routing manager with input means for receiving messages to be routed including messages newly received by the unit from its associated communications arrangement, first output means for messages that are to be transmitted on over the associated communications arrangement, and second output means for other of said messages, said local routing manager being operative to provide a limited routing function involving identifying messages received by said input means which from their destination addresses are to be transmitted on by the same interface unit over its associated communications arrangement, and passing the identified messages, as routed messages, to said first output means and other of said messages, as unrouted messages, to said second output means;
- and said apparatus including a plurality of point-to-point links that serve to interconnect the local routing managers into a closed loop by connecting said second output means to each local routing manager to the said input means of a next said local routing manager whereby to permit unrouted messages to be passed along between said units for routing;
said apparatus further including forwarding means for passing messages unrouted by said local routing managers to said shared routing manager for routing thereby.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Message-routing apparatus is known for routing messages between a plurality of communications networks. Typically, the known apparatus comprises a respective network interface card for each communications network and a shared, processor-based, routing manager with which the cards communicate through a backplane bus system. In order to overcome the bandwidth limitations of such known apparatus, the present invention provides a local routing manager on each card and high-speed, point-to-point, links interconnecting the local routing managers in a closed loop. Each local routing manager recognizes whether a message passed to it is for outward transmission over the associated network; if this is not the case, the message is passed to the local routing manager of the next card. Any messages which the local routing managers are unable to route, are diverted to a shared routing manager.
133 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A message-routing apparatus for routing messages between a plurality of communications arrangements, each said message including a destination address at least when received at said message-routing apparatus, said apparatus comprising a plurality of interface units each operative to receive and/or transmit messages over an associated one of said communications arrangements, a shared routing manager, and internal communication means inter-communicating the shared routing manager with the interface units, said shared routing manager providing a shared facility to said interface units for routing messages received by said units, on the basis of their respective destination addresses, to appropriate ones of said units for onward transmission over the associated communications arrangement, each said unit including a local routing manager with input means for receiving messages to be routed including messages newly received by the unit from its associated communications arrangement, first output means for messages that are to be transmitted on over the associated communications arrangement, and second output means for other of said messages, said local routing manager being operative to provide a limited routing function involving identifying messages received by said input means which from their destination addresses are to be transmitted on by the same interface unit over its associated communications arrangement, and passing the identified messages, as routed messages, to said first output means and other of said messages, as unrouted messages, to said second output means;
- and said apparatus including a plurality of point-to-point links that serve to interconnect the local routing managers into a closed loop by connecting said second output means to each local routing manager to the said input means of a next said local routing manager whereby to permit unrouted messages to be passed along between said units for routing;
said apparatus further including forwarding means for passing messages unrouted by said local routing managers to said shared routing manager for routing thereby. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- and said apparatus including a plurality of point-to-point links that serve to interconnect the local routing managers into a closed loop by connecting said second output means to each local routing manager to the said input means of a next said local routing manager whereby to permit unrouted messages to be passed along between said units for routing;
Specification