Prioritized PVC management queues for improved frame processing capabilities
First Claim
1. A method for processing link status messages in a networking device operative to communicate with another networking device in accordance with a communications protocol, the link status messages communicating the status of an associated message relay link between said networking devices, a first number of the link status messages each being associated with a predetermined response interval, wherein a failure to respond to a link status message within said predetermined response interval will result in the said associated message relay link being declared inoperative, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) determining whether link status messages received by the device belong to any one of a plurality of predetermined message classes, the message classes being associated with a response priority hierarchy comprised of a plurality of response priority levels which varies progressively from highest priority for a message class comprised of link status messages having relatively short predetermined response intervals to lowest priority for a message class comprised of link status messages having relatively long predetermined response intervals, and wherein each message class is respectively assigned one of said response priority levels of said hierarchy; and
b) storing the link status messages in a memory wherein messages of each said class may be separately retrieved from messages of the other said classes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a method and apparatus for the prioritization, multiple queuing and selective processing of PVC management frames by a Frame Relay message processing device. The device had an input port for receiving the messages. It also provides a number of message queues for storing and retrieving the received messages, each of the queues respectively corresponding to one of a number of response priority levels which vary from highest priority to lowest priority. Each of the response priority levels is assigned to a number of message classes associated with predetermined link management processes for communicating the status of message relay links among networking devices. The message processing device has a first processor for determining the message class associated with each of the received messages and for allocating each of the messages to a corresponding one of the queues based upon the response priority level assigned to the determined message class. A second processor is provided for retrieving each of the messages from the queues, and an output port is provided for dispatching the retrieved messages.
174 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for processing link status messages in a networking device operative to communicate with another networking device in accordance with a communications protocol, the link status messages communicating the status of an associated message relay link between said networking devices, a first number of the link status messages each being associated with a predetermined response interval, wherein a failure to respond to a link status message within said predetermined response interval will result in the said associated message relay link being declared inoperative, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining whether link status messages received by the device belong to any one of a plurality of predetermined message classes, the message classes being associated with a response priority hierarchy comprised of a plurality of response priority levels which varies progressively from highest priority for a message class comprised of link status messages having relatively short predetermined response intervals to lowest priority for a message class comprised of link status messages having relatively long predetermined response intervals, and wherein each message class is respectively assigned one of said response priority levels of said hierarchy; and b) storing the link status messages in a memory wherein messages of each said class may be separately retrieved from messages of the other said classes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for processing link status messages received from networking devices operative to communicate with each other in accordance with a communications protocol, the link status messages communicating the status of an associated message relay link between said networking devices, a first number of the link status messages each being associated with a predetermined response interval, wherein a failure to respond to a link status message within said predetermined response interval will result in the said associated message relay link being declared inoperative, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a first input port for receiving said link status messages; (b) two message queues for storing and retrieving said received link status messages, each of said queues respectively corresponding to one of two response priority levels representing a highest priority and a lowest priority, each of the response priority levels being assigned to one of two messages classes;
the first message class being associated with link status messages having relatively short predetermined response intervals and the second message class being associated with link status messages having relatively long predetermined response intervals, and wherein said highest priority is assigned to said first message class and said lowest priority is assigned to said second message class;(c) a first processor for determining the message class associated with each of said received link status messages, and for allocating each of said link status messages to a corresponding one of said queues based upon the response priority level assigned to said determined message class; (d) a second processor for retrieving each of said link status messages from said queues; and (e) a first output port for dispatching said retrieved link status messages. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for processing link status messages in a networking device operative to communicate with another networking device in accordance with a communications protocol, the link status messages communicating the status of an associated message relay link between said networking devices, a first number of the link status messages each being associated with a predetermined response interval, wherein a failure to respond to a link status message within said predetermined response interval will result in the said associated message relay link being declared inoperative, a second number of the link status messages each not being associated with any predetermined response interval, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining whether link status messages received by the device belong to any one of at least two message classes, the message classes each being associated with a corresponding priority level within a priority hierarchy which varies from highest priority to lowest priority, wherein the link status messages which are not associated with any response priority interval are assigned to the message class associated with the priority level of lowest priority; and (b) storing the link status messages in a memory wherein link status messages of each said class may be separately retrieved from link status messages of the other said classes.
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23. An apparatus for receiving, processing and replying to PVC management frames associated with a Frame Relay protocol environment and an ATM protocol environment, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a first input port for receiving the PVC management frames from the Frame Relay protocol environment; (b) a second input port for receiving the PVC management frames from the ATM protocol environment; (c) first and second message queues for storing and retrieving PVC management frames received from the Frame Relay protocol environment and the ATM protocol environment, the first and second message queues respectively corresponding to first and second response priority levels, the first priority level having highest priority and the second priority level having lowest priority, each of the response priority levels being respectively assigned to first and second message classes, said highest priority being assigned to the first message class and said lowest priority being assigned to the second message class, the first message class being associated with status enquiry frames and status frames received from the Frame Relay protocol environment, the second message class being associated with status enquiry frames and status frames received from the ATM protocol environment and with async/update frames received from the Frame Relay and ATM protocol environments; (d) a first processor for determining whether each received PVC management frame belongs to the first message class or the second message class, and for allocating each PVC management frame to the first queue if it belongs to the first message class and to the second queue if it belongs to the second message class; (e) a second processor for retrieving each PVC management frame from the queues in a concurrent round robin manner and for generating a reply thereto in the form of a response PVC management frame; (f) a first output port for dispatching said response PVC management frame to the Frame Relay protocol environment if the response PVC management frame is generated in reply to a received PVC management frame associated with the Frame Relay protocol environment; and (g) a second output port for dispatching said response PVC management frame to the ATM protocol environment if the response PVC management frame is generated in reply to a received PVC management frame associated with the ATM protocol environment.
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Specification