Hardware assist for redundant ethernet network

• US 9,450,916 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gustin, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, SAI MING
• Application Number:
  US14/466,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40176 involving redundancy error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking in interconnections G06F11/2002; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware using active fault-masking in storage systems using spares or by reconfiguring G06F11/2053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer

Abstract

A method includes receiving downlink packets from multiple physical Ethernet interfaces and selectively discarding some of the downlink packets based on a packet filtering criterion. The method also includes updating a network connectivity database using address information in non-discarded downlink packets. The method further includes mapping a path for each of the non-discarded downlink packets using the database and transmitting the non-discarded downlink packets to a single network interface. The method could also include receiving an uplink packet from the single network interface, selecting a primary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces based on information in the database, and transmitting the uplink packet through the selected primary physical Ethernet interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving downlink packets from multiple physical Ethernet interfaces;

selectively discarding some of the downlink packets based on at least one packet filtering criterion;

updating a network connectivity database using address information in non-discarded downlink packets;

mapping a path for each of the non-discarded downlink packets using the database; and

transmitting the non-discarded downlink packets to a single network interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an uplink packet from the single network interface;

selecting a primary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces based on information in the database; and

transmitting the uplink packet through the selected primary physical Ethernet interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that a path associated with the primary physical Ethernet interface is impaired;

in response to the determination, replacing address information corresponding to the primary physical Ethernet interface in the uplink packet with address information corresponding to a secondary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces; and

transmitting the uplink packet through the secondary physical Ethernet interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising at least one of:

calculating a frame check sequence (FCS) for the primary physical Ethernet interface; and

calculating an FCS for the secondary physical Ethernet interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether each downlink packet is associated with a specified protocol;

in response to determining that one of the downlink packets is associated with the specified protocol, retrieving a portion of the downlink packet; and

updating the database using the portion of the downlink packet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selectively discarding some of the downlink packets comprises at least one of:

discarding downlink packets not associated with a specified protocol; and

after receiving a threshold quantity of broadcast or multicast packets within a specified period of time, discarding subsequently-received broadcast or multicast packets for a remainder of the specified period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the non-discarded downlink packets to a media access controller (MAC) through the single network interface.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces are configured to communicate over a redundant pair of Ethernet networks.

8. An apparatus comprising:

multiple control firewall engines configured to;

receive downlink packets from multiple physical Ethernet interfaces, each of the control firewall engines configured to be coupled to a respective one of the physical Ethernet interfaces; and

selectively discard some of the downlink packets based on at least one packet filtering criterion; and

at least one processing device configured to;

update a network connectivity database using address information in non-discarded downlink packets;

map a path for each of the non-discarded downlink packets using the database; and

initiate transmission of the non-discarded downlink packets to a single network interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the apparatus further comprises an additional control firewall engine configured to receive an uplink packet from the single network interface; and

the at least one processing device is further configured to;

select a primary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces based on information in the database; and

initiate transmission of the uplink packet through the selected primary physical Ethernet interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to:

determine that a path associated with the primary physical Ethernet interface is impaired;

in response to the determination, replace address information corresponding to the primary physical Ethernet interface in the uplink packet with address information corresponding to a secondary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces; and

initiate transmission of the uplink packet through the secondary physical Ethernet interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the control firewall engines is further configured to calculate a frame check sequence (FCS).

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to:

determine whether each downlink packet is associated with a specified protocol;

in response to determining that one of the downlink packets is associated with the specified protocol, retrieve a portion of the downlink packet; and

update the database using the portion of the downlink packet.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control firewall engines are configured to selectively discard some of the downlink packets by at least one of:

discarding downlink packets not associated with a specified protocol; and

after detecting receipt of a threshold quantity of broadcast or multicast packets within a specified period of time, discarding subsequently-received broadcast or multicast packets for a remainder of the specified period of time.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control firewall engines and the at least one processing device comprise a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing device is configured to initiate transmission of the non-discarded downlink packets to a media access controller (MAC) through the single network interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

multiple multiplexers configured to define multiple paths between the physical Ethernet interfaces and an Ethernet node, the multiple paths including the control firewall engines; and

a controller configured to control the multiplexers.

22. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is configured to be coupled between (i) the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces and (ii) a single connection Ethernet node, the apparatus configured to provide the single connection Ethernet node with an ability to communicate over a redundant pair of Ethernet networks.

17. A system comprising:

multiple physical Ethernet interfaces configured to be coupled to multiple Ethernet communication links; and

a hardware assist device comprising;

multiple control firewall engines configured to;

receive downlink packets from the physical Ethernet interfaces, each of the control firewall engines configured to be coupled to a respective one of the physical Ethernet interfaces; and

selectively discard some of the downlink packets based on at least one packet filtering criterion; and

at least one processing device configured to;

update a network connectivity database using address information in non-discarded downlink packets;

map a path for each of the non-discarded downlink packets using the database; and

initiate transmission of the non-discarded downlink packets to a single network interface.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the hardware assist device further comprises an additional control firewall engine configured to receive an uplink packet from the single network interface; and

the at least one processing device is further configured to;

select a primary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces based on information in the database; and

initiate transmission of the uplink packet through the selected primary physical Ethernet interface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to:

determine that a path associated with the primary physical Ethernet interface is impaired;

in response to the determination, replace address information corresponding to the primary physical Ethernet interface in the uplink packet with address information corresponding to a secondary physical Ethernet interface from the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces; and

initiate transmission of the uplink packet through the secondary physical Ethernet interface.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the control firewall engines are configured to selectively discard some of the downlink packets by at least one of:

discarding downlink packets not associated with a specified protocol; and

after detecting receipt of a threshold quantity of broadcast or multicast packets within a specified period of time, discarding subsequently-received broadcast or multicast packets for a remainder of the specified period of time.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the hardware assist device is configured to be coupled between (i) the multiple physical Ethernet interfaces and (ii) a single connection Ethernet node, the hardware assist device configured to provide the single connection Ethernet node with an ability to communicate over a redundant pair of Ethernet networks; and

the single connection Ethernet node is configured to communicate with the hardware assist device via a single network interface card (NIC) using a single NIC driver.