In-line packet processing

• US 9,912,590 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• 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:
  US15/332,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• 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 device, comprising:

one or more processors, at least partially implemented in hardware, to;

determine information identifying a destination of a data packet;

receive the data packet,

the data packet being received at a multiport of the device, and

the data packet including a plurality of headers;

retrieve a plurality of templates associated with the plurality of headers,

the plurality of templates including a common template and a custom template;

modify the data packet based on the information and based on retrieving the plurality of templates,

the data packet being modified while the data packet is being received; and

transmit, via a transmitter, the data packet toward the destination after modifying the data packet,

the one or more processors comprising the transmitter.

2. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

divide the data packet into a plurality of portions based on receiving the data packet,

each portion, of the plurality of portions, being of a particular length; and

provide the plurality of portions to a switch via an interface.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

examine a first header, of the plurality of headers, for one or more first errors based on receiving the data packet,

the one or more first errors including at least one of;

an unrecognized header format;

or

an unconfigured connection.

4. The device of claim 3, where the one or more processors are further to:

store the data packet in a queue after examining the first header; and

examine a second header for one or more second errors while storing the data packet in the queue,

the one or more second errors including at least one of;

a checksum error;

a packet length error;

or

a second header error.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when modifying the data packet, are to:

remove a first header, of the plurality of headers, from the data packet;

construct a new first header based on the plurality of templates; and

modify a second header, of the plurality of headers, in the data packet.

6. The device of claim 1, where:

the common template is associated with a common portion of a first header of the plurality of headers; and

the custom template is associated with a unique portion of the first header.

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

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine information identifying a destination of a packet;

receive the packet,

the packet including a plurality of headers;

retrieve a plurality of templates associated with the plurality of headers,

the plurality of templates including a common template and a custom template;

modify the packet based on the information and based on retrieving the plurality of templates,

the packet being modified while the packet is being received; and

transmit the packet toward the destination after modifying the packet.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a route look-up request;

perform a match look-up based on receiving the route look-up request; and

provide the information based on performing the match look-up,

the information identifying a multiport to be used to transmit the packet toward the destination.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive offset information,

the offset information being derived from a header of the plurality of headers;

determine that the offset information is greater than a data size;

determine that overflow data is to be stored based on the offset information being greater than the data size; and

store the overflow data in an overflow queue based on determining that the overflow data is to be stored.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to modify the packet, cause the one or more processors to:

remove a first header, of the plurality of headers, from the packet;

detect a start of a second header, of the plurality of headers, in the packet;

examine the second header for errors;

attach a new first header to the packet; and

update the second header.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

divide the packet into a plurality of portions based on receiving the packet,

a portion, of the plurality of portions, being of a particular length; and

provide the plurality of portions to a switch via an interface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, where the particular length of the portion is 80 bytes, and

where the portion includes control information and data,

the control information being 16 bytes, and

the data being 64 bytes.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

examine a first header, of the plurality of headers, for one or more first errors based on receiving the packet,

the one or more first errors including at least one of;

an unrecognized header format;

or

an unconfigured connection.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

store the packet in a queue after examining the first header; and

examine a second header for one or more second errors while storing the packet in the queue,

the one or more second errors include at least one of;

a checksum error;

a packet length error;

or

a second header error.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device, information identifying a destination of a packet;

receiving, by the device, the packet,

the packet including a plurality of headers;

retrieving, by the device, a plurality of templates associated with the plurality of headers,

the plurality of templates including a common template and a custom template;

modifying, by the device, the packet based on the information and based on retrieving the plurality of templates,

the packet being modified while the packet is being received; and

transmitting, by the device, the packet toward the destination after modifying the packet.

16. The method of claim 15, where modifying the packet comprises:

removing a first header, of the plurality of headers, from the packet;

constructing a new first header based on the plurality of templates; and

modifying a second header, of the plurality of headers, in the packet.

17. The method of claim 15, where:

the common template is associated with a common portion of a first header of the plurality of headers; and

the custom template is associated with a unique portion of the first header.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a route look-up request;

performing a match look-up based on receiving the route look-up request; and

providing the information based on performing the match look-up,

the information identifying a multiport to be used to transmit the packet toward the destination.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving offset information,

the offset information being derived from a header of the plurality of headers;

determining that the offset information is greater than a data size based on receiving the offset information;

determining that overflow data is to be stored based on the offset information being greater than the data size; and

storing the overflow data in an overflow queue based on determining that the overflow data is to be stored.

20. The method of claim 15, where modifying the packet comprises:

removing a first header, of the plurality of headers, from the packet;

detecting a start of a second header, of the plurality of headers, in the packet;

examining the second header for errors;

attaching a new first header to the packet; and

updating the second header.