Method and apparatus for implementing a two-port ethernet bridge using a semaphoring technique
First Claim
1. A bridging device for routing packets between a receiving port and a destination port, comprising:
- a receiving media access controller, the receiving media access controller receiving a data packet on a first port, the packet intended for a user with an address unassociated with users attached to the receiving media access controller;
at least one transmitting media access controller, the at least one transmitting media access controller having a second port, the second port associated with the address of the intended user designated by the packet being received on the first port;
a bus, disposed between the receiving and transmitting media access devices, for interconnecting the receiving and transmitting media access controllers;
a memory, coupled to the bus, for providing a common data structure for storing data packets received by the receiving media access controller prior to transmission by the transmitting media access controller;
a first unique address, programmed into the receiving and transmitting media access controllers, a receiving media access controller signaling to the first unique address in the transmitting media access controller to indicate receipt of a packet for transmission; and
a second unique address, programmed into the receiving and transmitting media access controllers, a transmitting media access controller signaling to the second unique address in the receiving media access controller to indicate transmission of the packet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for implementing a two-port Ethernet bridge using a semaphoring technique. The Ethernet bridge includes two MAC devices, a bus, a memory and a semaphoring scheme. The controllers include a first address which is used for indicating receipt of the packet and a second address which is used for indicating the transmission of the packet from the memory and for clearing of the memory location of the packet for further use. The receiving media access controller receives a data packet on a first port and the transmitting media access controller transmits the packet from the memory to a second port associated with the address of the intended user designated by the packet. The memory includes a dual-ring structure, with one ring used for receive traffic and the other ring used for transmit traffic. The MACs also include programmability for designating the type of packets that may be received. Thus, a particular address on the bus is uniquely designated to carry each message and the address on the bus is independent of the source of the message.
87 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A bridging device for routing packets between a receiving port and a destination port, comprising:
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a receiving media access controller, the receiving media access controller receiving a data packet on a first port, the packet intended for a user with an address unassociated with users attached to the receiving media access controller; at least one transmitting media access controller, the at least one transmitting media access controller having a second port, the second port associated with the address of the intended user designated by the packet being received on the first port; a bus, disposed between the receiving and transmitting media access devices, for interconnecting the receiving and transmitting media access controllers; a memory, coupled to the bus, for providing a common data structure for storing data packets received by the receiving media access controller prior to transmission by the transmitting media access controller; a first unique address, programmed into the receiving and transmitting media access controllers, a receiving media access controller signaling to the first unique address in the transmitting media access controller to indicate receipt of a packet for transmission; and a second unique address, programmed into the receiving and transmitting media access controllers, a transmitting media access controller signaling to the second unique address in the receiving media access controller to indicate transmission of the packet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A bridging device for forwarding packets received on a first port to a second port, comprising:
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a first media access controller receiving a data packet intended for a user with an address unassociated therewith; a second media access controller having a user with the intended address; a bus, disposed between the first and second media access controllers, for interconnecting the first and second media access controllers; a memory, coupled to the bus, for providing a common data structure for storing data packets received by the first and second media access controller; and a semaphore communication scheme, shared by the first and second media access controllers, for signaling to the second media access controller that a packet has been received by the first media access controller and is stored in the memory, and for signalling by the second media access controller to the first media access controller after transmission of the stored packet that the packet in the memory has been transmitted. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of transferring a packet received on a port of a first media access controller to a port on a second media access controller, comprising the steps of:
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receiving on a port of the first media access controller a packet having a destination address associated with a port of the second media access controller; storing the packet in a memory attached to a bus, the memory and the bus being shared by the first media access controller and the second media access controller; signaling by the first media access controller to a first unique address in the second media access controller that a packet has been received and is stored in the memory; transmitting the packet in memory to the destination address by the second media access controller; signaling by the second media access controller to a second unique address in the first media access controller that the packet has been transmitted. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification