Network packet steering via configurable association of packet processing resources and network interfaces

• US 8,638,802 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Desai, Sachin, Millet, Tim, Hussain, Zahid, Kim, Paul, Yeung, Louise, Yeung, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Man
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US13/305,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 370/392, 370/400
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/65 Re-configuration of fast packet switches

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for steering network packets. According to one embodiment, a dynamically configurable steering table is stored within a memory of each network interface of a networking routing/switching device. The steering table represents a mapping that logically assigns each of the network interfaces to one of multiple packet processing resources of the network routing/switching device. The steering table has contained therein information indicative of a unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource. Responsive to receiving a packet on a network interface, the network interface performs Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering of the received packet to the assigned packet processing resource by retrieving the information indicative of the unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource from the steering table based on a channel identifier associated with the received packet and the received packet is processed by the assigned packet processing resource.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, within a memory of each of a plurality of network interfaces of a networking routing/switching device, a dynamically configurable steering table representing a mapping that logically assigns each of the plurality of network interfaces to a packet processing resource of a plurality of packet processing resources of the network routing/switching device, wherein for each of the plurality of network interfaces, the steering table has contained therein information indicative of a unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource of the plurality of packet processing resources;

responsive to receiving a packet on a particular network interface of the plurality of network interfaces, performing Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering of the received packet to the assigned packet processing resource by which the received packet is to be processed by retrieving the information indicative of the unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource from the dynamically configurable steering table based on a channel identifier associated with the received packet; and

processing the received packet by the assigned packet processing resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a specific process within the assigned packet processing resource by which the received packet is to be processed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more filter operations are applied against the received packets prior to performing the Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reconfiguring the dynamically configurable steering table responsive to processing or memory capabilities of the plurality of packet processing resources or responsive to operational status of the plurality of packet processing resources.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising load balancing network traffic among the plurality of packet processing resources based on the dynamically configurable steering tables.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the load balancing is accomplished by configuring the dynamically configurable steering tables responsive to changes in one or more network traffic characteristics.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the load balancing is accomplished by configuring the dynamically configurable steering tables to account for differing processing capabilities of the plurality of packet processing resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically configurable steering table is configured by an end-user through a graphical user interface (GUI) application.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the steering table further comprises an identifier for the network interface, a plurality of identifiers for line interface ports or sub-interfaces on the network interface, and a pointer to a specific process residing on the processing resource.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more filtering operations applied against the received packets are applied at the network interfaces, and wherein the steering table is used to have the network interfaces perform filter operations.

9. A network packet steering system, comprising:

a plurality of packet processing resources provided by a network routing/switching device;

a plurality of network interfaces of the network routing/switching device;

wherein the plurality of packet processing resources are configurable, uniquely identified within the network routing/switching device, and dynamically assigned to one or more network interfaces of the plurality of network interfaces;

wherein the dynamically configured assignment is accomplished by storing, within a memory of each of the plurality of network interfaces, a steering table representing a mapping that logically assigns each of the plurality of network interfaces to a packet processing resource of a plurality of packet processing resources, and wherein for each of the plurality of network interfaces, the steering table has contained therein information indicative of a unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource of the plurality of packet processing resources;

wherein the plurality of network interfaces perform Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering of received packets to the assigned packet processing resource by which the received packets are to be processed by retrieving the information indicative of the unique identifier/address of the assigned packet processing resource from the steering table based on a channel identifier associated with the received packets; and

wherein the received packets are processed by the assigned packet processing resource.

10. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein a determination is made by the plurality of network interfaces regarding a specific process within the assigned packet processing resource by which the received packet is to be processed.

11. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein one or more filter operations are applied against the received packets prior to performing the Layer 1 or Layer 2 steering.

12. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein the steering table is reconfigured responsive to processing or memory capabilities of the plurality of packet processing resources or responsive to operational status of the plurality of packet processing resources.

13. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein network traffic is load balanced among the plurality of packet processing resources based on the steering tables.

14. The network packet steering system of claim 13, wherein load balancing is accomplished by configuring the steering tables responsive to changes in one or more network traffic characteristics.

15. The network packet steering system of claim 13, wherein load balancing is accomplished by configuring the steering tables to account for differing processing capabilities of the plurality of packet processing resources.

16. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein the steering table is configurable by an end-user through a graphical user interface (GUI) application.

19. The network packet steering system of claim 9, wherein the steering table further comprises an identifier for the network interface, a plurality of identifiers for line interface ports or sub-interfaces on the network interface, and a pointer to a specific process residing on the processing resource.

20. The network packet steering system of claim 11, wherein the one or more filtering operations applied against the received packets are applied at the network interfaces, and wherein the steering table is used to have the network interfaces perform filter operations.