In-line packet processing

• US 9,479,436 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Oskouy, Rasoul Mirzazadeh, Ferguson, Dennis C., Ju, Hann-Hwan, Lim, Raymond Marcelino Manese, Sindhu, Pradeep S., Veeragandham, Sreeram, Zimmer, Jeff, Hui, Michael M. Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWEET, LONNIE V
• Application Number:
  US14/502,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/08 Error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation, e.g. by using checking codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5652 Cell construction, e.g. including header, packetisation, depacketisation, assembly, reassembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5679 Arbitration or scheduling
• 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 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6225 Fixed service order, e.g. Round Robin
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/103 using a shared central buffer; using a shared memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/108 using shared central buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/203 ATM switching fabrics with multicast or broadcast capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• 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 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3063 Pipelined operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3081 ATM peripheral units, e.g. policing, insertion or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/555 : Error detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 : Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/608 : ATM switches adapted to switch variable length packets, e.g. IP packets
• 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 49/9047 : including multiple buffers, e.g. buffer pools
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 : Provisions for broadband connections

Abstract

A method and apparatus for in-line processing a data packet while routing the packet through a router in a system transmitting data packets between a source and a destination over a network including the router. The method includes receiving the data packet and pre-processing layer header data for the data packet as the data packet is received and prior to transferring any portion of the data packet to packet memory. The data packet is thereafter stored in the packet memory. A routing through the router is determined including a next hop index describing the next connection in the network. The data packet is retrieved from the packet memory and a new layer header for the data packet is constructed from the next hop index while the data packet is being retrieved from memory. The new layer header is coupled to the data packet prior to transfer from the router.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a device, information regarding a destination of a data packet,

the data packet including a plurality of headers,

each header, of the plurality of headers, corresponding to one of a plurality of network protocol layers;

retrieving, by the device, the data packet from a memory associated with the device;

retrieving, by the device, a common template associated with a common portion of a header of the plurality of headers;

retrieving, by the device, a custom template associated with a unique portion of the header;

constructing, by the device, header data associated with a network protocol layer, of the plurality of network protocol layers, based on the information regarding the destination of the data packet and based on retrieving the common template and the custom template,

the header data including the common portion and the unique portion, and

the header data being constructed while the data packet is being retrieved from the memory; and

transmitting, by the device and toward the destination, the data packet with the header data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

examining header layer data, associated with the data packet, for errors; and

storing the data packet in the memory based on examining the header layer data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

examining layer 2 header and layer 3 header of the data packet for errors.

4. The method of claim 3, where examining the layer 2 header and the layer 3 header of the data packet for errors includes:

examining the layer 2 header for errors relating to at least one of unrecognized layer 2 header formats or unconfigured layer 2 connections.

5. The method of claim 3, where examining the layer 2 header and the layer 3 header of the data packet for errors includes:

examining layer 3 header for at least one of;

checksum errors,

packet length errors, or

layer 3 header errors.

6. The method of claim 1, where the memory includes a distributed memory,

the method further comprising:

dividing the data packet to obtain portions of the data packet; and

storing the portions in the distributed memory.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing the data packet into fixed length cells; and

parsing a header associated with a first cell of the fixed length cells.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by a network device, cause the network device to;

determine information regarding a destination of a data packet,

the data packet including a plurality of headers,

each header, of the plurality of headers, corresponding to one of a plurality of network protocol layers;

retrieve the data packet from a memory associated with the network device;

retrieve a common template associated with a common portion of a header of the plurality of headers;

retrieve a custom template associated with a unique portion of the header;

construct header data associated with a network protocol layer, of the plurality of network protocol layers, based on the information regarding the destination of the data packet and based on retrieving the common template and the custom template,

the header data including the common portion and the unique portion, and

the header data being constructed while the data packet is being retrieved from the memory; and

transmit, toward the destination, the data packet with the header data.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, where the memory includes a distributed memory,

the instructions further comprising:

one or more instructions to divide the data packet to obtain portions of the data packet; and

one or more instructions to store the portions of the data packet in the distributed memory.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to examine layer 3 header of the data packet for errors in parallel with dividing the data packet and storing the portions of the data packet.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to examine header layer data, associated with the data packet, for errors; and

one or more instructions to store the data packet in the memory based on examining the header layer data.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to examine a layer 2 header and a layer 3 header of the data packet for errors.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, where the one or more instructions to examine the layer 2 header and the layer 3 header of the data packet for errors includes:

one or more instructions to examine the layer 2 header for errors relating to at least one of unrecognized layer 2 header formats or unconfigured layer 2 connections; and

one or more instructions to examine the layer 3 header for at least one of;

checksum errors,

packet length errors, or

layer 3 header errors.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to parse the header by examining the header for an error and identifying a start of a next layer header in the data packet.

15. A system comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, to execute the instructions, to;

determine information regarding a destination of a data packet,

the data packet including a plurality of headers,

each header of the plurality of headers corresponding to one of a plurality of network protocol layers;

retrieve the data packet from the memory;

retrieve a common template associated with a common portion of a header of the plurality of headers;

retrieve a custom template associated with a unique portion of the header;

construct header data associated with a network protocol layer, of the plurality of network protocol layers, based on the information regarding the destination of the data packet and based on retrieving the common template and the custom template,

the header data including the common portion and the unique portion, and

the header data being constructed while the data packet is being retrieved from the memory; and

transmit, toward the destination, the data packet with the header data.

16. The system of claim 15, where the memory includes a distributed memory, and

where the processor is further to:

divide the data packet to obtain portions of the data packet, and

store the portions of the data packet in the distributed memory.

17. The system of claim 16, where the processor is further to:

examine a layer 3 header of the data packet for errors in parallel with dividing the data packet and storing the portions of the data packet.

18. The system of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

examine header layer data, associated with the data packet, for errors; and

store the data packet in the memory based on examining the header layer data.

19. The system of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

examine a layer 2 header and a layer 3 header of the data packet for errors.

20. The system of claim 15, where the processor is further to:

divide the data packet into fixed length cells; and

parse a header associated with a first cell, of the fixed length cells, before retrieving the data packet.