Bridge/router architecture for high performance scalable networking

• US 5,802,278 A
• Filed: 01/23/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Arunkumar, Nagaraj, Mallory, Tracy D., Seaman, Michael J., Isfeld, Mark S., Mitchell, Bruce W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Daniel H.
• Application Number:
  US08/599,473
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/200.1, 395/497.01, 395/182.02, 395/183.19, 395/200.06, 340/825.02, 340/825.51, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 370/60.1, 370/85.13, 370/60, 370/94.1
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5627 Fault tolerance and recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5651 Priority, marking, classes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5665 Interaction of ATM with other protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5681 Buffer or queue management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/107 using shared medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/108 using shared central buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/256 Routing or path finding in ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/309 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9031 Wraparound memory, e.g. overrun or underrun detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9047 including multiple buffers, e.g. buffer pools
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9084 Reactions to storage capacity overflow
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

A high performance scalable networking bridge/router system is based on a backbone communication medium and message passing process which interconnects a plurality of input/output modules. The input/output modules vary in complexity from a simple network interface device having no switching or routing resources on board, to a fully functional bridge/router system. Also, in between these two extremes input/output modules which support distributed protocol processing are supported. A central internetworking engine includes a shared memory resource coupled to the backbone. The architecture includes a physical layer communication system for transferring control messages and data packets across the backbone, a logical layer interprocessor messaging system which operates over the physical layer across the backbone for communication between intelligent input/out modules, and between such modules in the central internetworking engine, and distributed protocol modules which are supported on intelligent input/output modules, and communicate using the logical interprocessor messaging system with the central internetworking resources.

Claims

1. An apparatus of interconnecting a plurality of networks, comprising:

a plurality of input/output systems, having input/output ports for physical connections to a diversity of networks operating with a plurality of routed network protocols, said input/output systems having a plurality of variant sets of processing resources;

an interprocessor messaging system, coupled with the plurality of input/output systems, including a logical layer and a physical layer, for transferring data-in-transit and control signals among the plurality of input/output systems; and

distributed processing services in the plurality of input/output systems, including for respective sets of routing decisions according to corresponding routed network protocols in the plurality of routed network protocols a central routing resource in a processor coupled to the interprocessor messaging system, and a distributed protocol module in a given input/output system in the plurality of input/output systems, in which the distributed protocol module supports a subset of the respective set of routing decisions for the corresponding routed network protocol and relies on communications across the interprocessor messaging system with the central routing resource for routing decisions not in the subset of the set of routing decisions for the corresponding routed network protocol.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor which includes the central routing resource, includes a plurality of input/output ports for physical connections to a networks.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of input/output systems comprise a plurality of central routing processors coupled to the interprocessor messaging system, each including central routing resources for respective routed network protocols.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central routing resource includes resources for communicating with input/output systems at the physical layer of the interprocessor messaging system for input/output systems without logical layer processing capability.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interprocessor messaging system supports messages among the plurality of input/output systems according to a plurality of classes having different latency and reliability characteristics.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central routing resource includes a routing table for the given protocol, and the distributed protocol module includes a routing table cache maintained through the interprocessor messaging system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, including a central routing processor coupled to the interprocessor messaging system which includes:

the central routing resource;

resources for communicating with input/output systems at the physical layer of the interprocessor messaging system for input/output systems without logical layer processing capability; and

wherein the interprocessor messaging system supports messages among the plurality of input/output systems and the central routing processor according to a plurality of classes having different latency and reliability characteristics.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the central routing resource includes a routing table for at least one routed network protocol in the plurality of routed network protocols, and the distributed protocol module for the at least one routed network protocol includes a routing table cache maintained through the interprocessor messaging system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interprocessor communication system includes a backbone communication medium which comprises a local area network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interprocessor communication system includes a backbone communication medium which comprises a wide area network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interprocessor communication system includes a backbone communication medium which comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network executing a process for emulation of a connectionless local area network protocol.

12. An apparatus for interconnecting a plurality of networks through network interface systems having different degrees of protocol processing capability, comprising:

a router processor having processing resources for managing multiprotocol routing of packets received from the plurality of networks, including protocol processing resources serving the different degrees of protocol processing capability in the network interface systems;

a bus having a plurality of bus slots for network interface systems and coupled to the router processor providing a data path among the router processor and network interface systems connected in the bus slots;

a bus communication system run in the router processor and network interface systems in the bus slots supporting flow of data-in-transit and control messages among the router processor and the bus slots across the bus;

wherein the protocol processing resources provide centralized protocol processing for packets forwarded from a particular network interface system which receives a packet needing processing for a protocol not supported by the particular network interface system, and provide distributed protocol processing for protocols partially supported by network interface systems in response to requests from network interface systems.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the centralized protocol processing includes support for per-packet routing and header processing for at least one protocol run in the plurality of networks.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the distributed protocol processing includes management of routing tables in the router processor and support of routing table caches in network interface systems for at least one protocol run in the plurality of networks.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communications system supports transfer of data-in-transit and control messages among the router processor and the plurality of bus slots with reliability classes.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the communications system supports transfer of data-in-transit and control messages among the router processor and the plurality of bus slots with latency classes.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the router processor includes shared memory resources accessible through the bus communication system by the network interface systems in the plurality of slots, for holding data-in-transit.

18. An apparatus for interconnecting a plurality of networks, comprising:

a backbone communication medium having a physical layer protocol;

a central routing processor coupled to the backbone, including resources for making routing decisions according to a plurality of routed network protocols;

a plurality of input/output modules coupled to the backbone and in communication with the central routing processor according to the physical layer protocol, the input/output modules having respective sets of physical network interfaces, the set for a given input/output module having one or more members;

an interprocessor messaging system in a logical layer above the physical layer protocol executed in the central routing processor and in a set of one or more intelligent input/output modules within the plurality of input/output modules; and

distributed protocol services executed over the interprocessor messaging system, including a distributed protocol module in at least one member of the set of intelligent input/output devices which makes routing decisions supported by the distributed protocol module according to a corresponding routed network protocol in the plurality of routed network protocols, and a distributed protocol module server in the central routing processor which in response to queries from the distributed protocol module makes routing decisions on behalf of the distributed protocol module according to the corresponding routed network protocol.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a particular input/output module in the plurality coupled to the backbone includes resources for signalling the central routing processor about events across the physical layer protocol, and including:

centralized routing services executed in the central routing processor over the physical layer protocol in response to events on the particular input/output module which makes routing decisions.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the distributed protocol services include resources for performing transparent bridging in at least one the of the input/output modules.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the corresponding routed network protocol of the distributed protocol services comprises Internet protocol (IP) routing in at least one of the input/output modules.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the interprocessor messaging system includes resources for transferring control messages and network packets-in-transit among the central routing processor and input/output modules in the set of intelligent input/output modules.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the distributed protocol module includes a protocol routing table cache, and the distributed protocol module server includes resources for maintaining a central protocol routing table and supporting the protocol routing table caches.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the interprocessor messaging system supports communication among the central routing processor and the plurality of input/output modules with messages in a plurality of latency classes.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the physical layer protocol supports communication among the central routing processor and the plurality of input/output modules with messages in a plurality of latency classes.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the interprocessor messaging system supports communication among the central routing processor and the plurality of input/output modules with messages in a plurality of reliability classes.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the physical layer protocol supports communication among the central routing processor and the plurality of input/output modules with messages in a plurality of reliability classes.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, including a second central routing processor coupled to the backbone, including a second distributed protocol module server.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backbone communication medium comprises a local area network.

30. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backbone communication medium comprises a wide area network.

31. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backbone communication medium comprises an asynchronous transfer mode network executing a process for emulation of a connectionless local area network protocol.

32. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the backbone communication medium comprises a high speed parallel bus.