FLEXIBLE METHOD FOR PROCESSING DATA PACKETS IN A NETWORK ROUTING SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED EFFICIENCY AND MONITORING CAPABILITY

• US 20090279546A1
• Filed: 01/29/2007
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Foundry Networks LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Ian Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,194,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/7453 using hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/39 Credit based

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the invention, a network device such as a router or switch provides efficient data packet handling capability. The network device includes one or more input ports for receiving data packets to be routed, as well as one or more output ports for transmitting data packets. The network device includes an integrated port controller integrated circuit for routing packets. The integrated circuit includes an interface circuit, a received packets circuit, a buffer manager circuit for receiving data packets from the received packets circuit and transmitting data packets in one or more buffers and reading data packets from the one or more buffers. The integrated circuit also includes a rate shaper counter for storing credit for a traffic class, so that the integrated circuit can support input and/or output rate shaping. The integrated circuit may be associated with an IRAM, a CAM, a parameter memory configured to hold routing and/or switching parameters, which may be implemented as a PRAM, and an aging RAM, which stores aging information. The aging information may be used by a CPU coupled to the integrated circuit via a system interface circuit to remove entries from the CAM and/or the PRAM when an age count exceeds an age limit threshold for the entries.

Claims

1. A method of processing a data packet received over a trunked port, comprising:

receiving the data packet over the trunked port;

deriving a forward identifier associated with a destination port for the data packet; and

modifying the forward identifier on account of the trunking.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising computing a trunk index based on the type of data packet, and wherein the modifying comprises performing a logical operation using the forward identifier and the trunk index.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises performing a logical operation using the physical port number and the forward identifier.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the modifying comprises masking the forward identifier during segment filtering.