Cached routing table management

• US 8,817,796 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Basso, Claude, Shedivy, David A., Verrilli, Colin B., Walk, Bruce M., Wind, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Grey, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rahman, M Mostazir
• Application Number:
  US13/597,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.31
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/742 Route cache; Operation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing

Abstract

Techniques are provided for cached routing table management in a distributed network switch. A frame having a source address and a destination address is received. If no routing entry for the source address is found in a routing table of a switch module in the distributed network switch, then routing information is determined for the source address and a routing entry is generated. The routing table is modified to include the routing entry, based on a set of hash functions. Upon accessing the generated routing entry in the modified routing table responsive to a subsequent lookup request for the source address, the set of caches is modified to include the generated routing entry.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed, performs an operation comprising:

receiving, by a first switch module of a distributed network switch, a first frame having a source address and a destination address, wherein the first switch module comprises a plurality of bridge elements and a routing table, wherein the routing table in the first switch module is shared among the plurality of bridge elements in the first switch module and includes a plurality of sets of buckets, wherein each set of buckets is associated with a respective hash function of a plurality of hash functions, wherein at least a first bridge element of the plurality of bridge elements has an associated set of caches;

upon determining that the routing table in the first switch module does not include any routing entry for an address selected from the source address and the destination address of the first frame, generating, in the routing table in the first switch module, a routing entry for the selected address, based on routing information determined for the selected address and based further on at least one of the plurality of hash functions, wherein a routing entry, selected based on an aging criterion, is discarded if the routing table in the first switch module satisfies a fullness condition, wherein the first frame is forwarded based on the determined routing information and received by a second switch module of the distributed network switch, the second switch module having a routing table;

upon determining that the routing table in the second switch module does not include any routing entry for the selected address, generating, in the routing table in the second switch module, a routing entry for the selected address, based on routing information determined for the selected address and based further on at least one of the plurality of hash functions; and

upon accessing the generated routing entry in the modified routing table in the first switch module responsive to a subsequent lookup request for the selected address, modifying the set of caches to include the generated routing entry.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein each lookup cache of the first bridge element is configured to be invalidated upon each of:

(i) routing information of any valid routing entry is modified;

(ii) receiving an indication that a flush operation is requested by a master controller component of the distributed network switch; and

(iii) a threshold duration of time has elapsed since a last invalidation of the respective lookup cache;

wherein the lookup cache is not flushed upon an aging out of each routing entry in the routing table, wherein routing entries to be inserted into the set of caches need not be compared prior to insertion;

wherein each set of buckets is divided into a plurality of slices of buckets, each slice having a respective property and including one or more buckets, wherein the routing table in the first switch module is modified based further on the respective properties of the plurality of slices;

wherein access to the plurality of slices of each set of buckets is managed by an arbiter component of the routing table, wherein each slice of each set of buckets is identified via a predefined subset of bits of hash function output, wherein access to each slice of each set of buckets is monitored by the arbiter component, wherein the respective properties of the plurality of slices are updated based on the monitored access.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein each bucket stores a plurality of routing entries, wherein each set of buckets is stored in a respective hash table of the routing table in the first switch module, wherein the generated routing entry stores a routing key included within a header of the first frame, wherein the routing key includes Layer-2 routing information comprising a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, a logical network (LN) identifier, and a media access control (MAC) address;

wherein the routing table is configured to provide parallel access to each slice of each set of buckets, based on the respective properties of the plurality of slices, wherein each slice includes an array data structure, wherein each hash function is selected based on;

(i) an avalanche property of the respective hash function;

(ii) an intra-hash collision property of the respective hash function;

(iii) an inter-hash collision property of the respective hash function; and

(iv) an inter-slice distribution property of the respective hash function.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the respective property of each slice of the plurality of slices comprises an access frequency property of the respective slice, wherein each bucket in each set of buckets is identifiable by a bucket identifier that is distinct within the respective set of buckets, and wherein modifying the routing table comprises:

generating, using the hash function associated with each set of buckets, a respective hash value based on the routing key included within the header of the first frame;

identifying, within each set of buckets, a candidate bucket having a bucket identifier matching the hash value generated using the hash function associated with the respective set of buckets;

upon determining that an access frequency mode is enabled, determining a bucket among the identified candidate buckets, belonging to a least-frequently accessed slice;

upon determining that the access frequency mode is disabled, determining one of;

(i) a least-full bucket among the identified candidate buckets and (ii) a least-full bucket among the identified candidate buckets and belonging to a least-full set of buckets of the plurality of sets of buckets, upon determining a presence of multiple least-full buckets; and

inserting the generated routing entry into the determined bucket.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the least-full bucket is selected from one of:

(i) the candidate bucket having a smallest count of valid routing entries and (ii) the candidate bucket having a smallest count of valid routing entries and belonging to the set of buckets having a smallest count of valid routing entries;

wherein inserting the generated routing entry into the determined bucket comprises;

upon determining that the least-full bucket is full, discarding the selected routing entry in the least-full bucket to make room for the generated routing entry, without reinserting the discarded routing entry into any of the plurality of sets of buckets.

6. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a memory containing a program which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, is configured to perform an operation comprising;

receiving, by a first switch module of a distributed network switch, a first frame having a source address and a destination address, wherein the first switch module comprises a plurality of bridge elements and a routing table, wherein the routing table in the first switch module is shared among the plurality of bridge elements in the first switch module and includes a plurality of sets of buckets, wherein each set of buckets is associated with a respective hash function of a plurality of hash functions, wherein at least a first bridge element of the plurality of bridge elements has an associated set of caches;

upon determining that the routing table in the first switch module does not include any routing entry for an address selected from the source address and the destination address of the first frame, generating a routing entry for the selected address, based on routing information determined for the selected address and based further on at least one of the plurality of hash functions, wherein a routing entry, selected based on an aging criterion, is discarded if the routing table in the first switch module satisfies a fullness condition, wherein the first frame is forwarded based on the determined routing information and received by a second switch module of the distributed network switch, the second switch module having a routing table;

upon determining that the routing table in the second switch module does not include any routing entry for the selected address, generating, in the routing table in the second switch module, a routing entry for the selected address, based on routing information determined for the selected address and based further on at least one of the plurality of hash functions; and

upon accessing the generated routing entry in the modified routing table in the first switch module responsive to a subsequent lookup request for the selected address, modifying the set of caches to include the generated routing entry.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each lookup cache of the first bridge element is configured to be invalidated upon each of:

(i) routing information of any valid routing entry is modified;

(ii) receiving an indication that a flush operation is requested by a master controller component of the distributed network switch; and

(iii) a threshold duration of time has elapsed since a last invalidation of the respective lookup cache;

wherein the lookup cache is not flushed upon an aging out of each routing entry in the routing table, wherein routing entries to be inserted into the set of caches need not be compared prior to insertion;

wherein each set of buckets is divided into a plurality of slices of buckets, each slice having a respective property and including one or more buckets, wherein the routing table in the first switch module is modified based further on the respective properties of the plurality of slices;

wherein access to the plurality of slices of each set of buckets is managed by an arbiter component of the routing table, wherein each slice of each set of buckets is identified via a predefined subset of bits of hash function output, wherein access to each slice of each set of buckets is monitored by the arbiter component, wherein the respective properties of the plurality of slices are updated based on the monitored access.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each hash function is distinct, wherein each bucket stores a plurality of routing entries, wherein each set of buckets is stored in a respective hash table of the routing table in the first switch module, wherein the generated routing entry stores a routing key included within a header of the first frame, wherein the routing key includes Layer-2 routing information comprising a virtual local area network (VLAN) tag, a logical network (LN) identifier, and a media access control (MAC) address;

wherein the routing table is configured to provide parallel access to each slice of each set of buckets, based on the respective properties of the plurality of slices, wherein each slice includes an array data structure, wherein each hash function is selected based on;

(i) an avalanche property of the respective hash function;

(ii) an intra-hash collision property of the respective hash function;

(iii) an inter-hash collision property of the respective hash function; and

(iv) an inter-slice distribution property of the respective hash function.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the respective property of each slice of the plurality of slices comprises an access frequency property of the respective slice, wherein each bucket in each set of buckets is identifiable by a bucket identifier that is distinct within the respective set of buckets.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the least-full bucket is selected from one of:

(i) the candidate bucket having a smallest count of valid routing entries and (ii) the candidate bucket having a smallest count of valid routing entries and belonging to the set of buckets having a smallest count of valid routing entries;

wherein inserting the generated routing entry into the determined bucket comprises;

upon determining that the least-full bucket is full, discarding the selected routing entry in the least-full bucket to make room for the generated routing entry, without reinserting the discarded routing entry into any of the plurality of sets of buckets.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein modifying the routing table comprises:

generating, using the hash function associated with each set of buckets, a respective hash value based on the routing key included within the header of the first frame.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein modifying the routing table further comprises:

identifying, within each set of buckets, a candidate bucket having a bucket identifier matching the hash value generated using the hash function associated with the respective set of buckets; and

upon determining that an access frequency mode is enabled, determining a bucket among the identified candidate buckets, belonging to a least-frequently accessed slice.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein modifying the routing table further comprises:

upon determining that the access frequency mode is disabled, determining one of;

(i) a least-full bucket among the identified candidate buckets and (ii) a least-full bucket among the identified candidate buckets and belonging to a least-full set of buckets of the plurality of sets of buckets, upon determining a presence of multiple least-full buckets; and

inserting the generated routing entry into the determined bucket.