Multi-priority multi-color markers for traffic metering
Granted: May 18, 2010
Patent Number:
7719968
A metering device has a first token bucket with a profile, a rate, and a maximum number of tokens. The device has another token bucket with its own profile, two associated rates, and a maximum number of tokens. In operation, the device adds tokens in the first token bucket at its rate if the bucket has less than the maximum number of tokens for that bucket, and adds a number of tokens in the other token bucket at the same rate if the first token bucket is full and the other token bucket…
Pseudo wire processing in a packet forwarding device
Granted: May 4, 2010
Patent Number:
7710993
A method is provided for pseudo wire processing in a packet forwarding device in which a packet is processed based on whether the ports through which the packet is transmitted are real or pseudo wire ports. The inbound and outbound port information is encoded using a predefined range of index values such that index values falling within one range of values are used for passing real port information, and index values falling within another range of values are used for passing pseudo wire…
Methods and systems for selectively processing virtual local area network (VLAN) traffic from different networks while allowing flexible VLAN identifier assignment
Granted: April 6, 2010
Patent Number:
7693158
Methods and systems for selectively processing VLAN traffic from different networks while allowing flexible VLAN identifier assignment are disclosed. According to one aspect, a layer 2 switch includes a virtual switch identifier data structure that associates a VLAN identifier extracted from a layer 2 frame and a port identifier corresponding to a port on which a frame is received with a virtual switch identifier. The virtual switch identifier is used to select a per-virtual-switch data…
Method and apparatus for restoring the configuration of a network device
Granted: March 30, 2010
Patent Number:
7689678
A method and apparatus is provided to restore the configuration of a network device. A configuration manager in a network device saves a version of the configuration of the network device by storing the configuration data in an format that conforms to a standard markup language such as the extended markup language (XML). The format includes a sequence of corresponding tags and values that represent the content of the internal data structures in the memory of the router that comprise the…
Packet processing system architecture and method
Granted: March 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7675915
A packet processing system architecture and method are provided. According to a first aspect of the invention, packet parser functions are distributed throughout a packet processing system comprising a packet classification system and a packet modification system. According to a second aspect of the invention, an egress mirroring function is provided to the system. According to a third aspect of the invention, a multi-dimensional quality of service indicator for a packet is provided.…
System and method for network loop detection and recovery
Granted: March 2, 2010
Patent Number:
7672228
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a system and method of network loop detection and recovery. In one embodiment of the invention, a networked node contains a loop detection and recovery agent. The loop detection and recovery agent may include a loop detection module and a loop recovery module. The loop detection module may be independent of a redundancy protocol implemented by the networked node. In contrast, the loop recovery module may be embedded in the redundancy…
Rule structure for performing network switch functions
Granted: February 23, 2010
Patent Number:
7668969
One or more rules for performing one or more network switch functions, the one or more rules conforming to an improved rule structure, are provided. The improved rule structure comprises a first specification defining one or more conditions to be met, the one or more conditions comprising or including one or more conditions to be met by one or more usage-derived packet statistics, and a second specification defining one or more actions to be taken by the network switch if the one or more…
Methods and systems for hybrid hardware- and software-base media access control (MAC) address learning
Granted: February 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7660259
Methods and systems for hybrid layer 2 address learning are disclosed. In one method, a packet with a layer 2 source address is received. Next, it is determined whether to implement hardware-based learning or software-based learning based on a classification of the received packet. In response to determining that software-based learning is required, the source address and corresponding forwarding information in the packet are learned using software. In response to determining that…
Connection pacer and method for performing connection pacing in a network of servers and clients using FIFO buffers
Granted: February 9, 2010
Patent Number:
7660894
A connection pacer and method for performing connection pacing in a network of servers and clients using a first-in-first-out (“FIFO”) buffer.
Method and apparatus for converting network management protocol to markup language
Granted: February 2, 2010
Patent Number:
7657635
A method is provided to convert network management protocol request into a markup language representation. In one embodiment, the present invention includes receiving a network management protocol request at a network device, generating a plurality of markup language tags and content embedded in the markup language tags based on the received request, and responding to the request using the plurality of markup language tags and content embedded in the markup language tags using a unified…
Method and system for maintaining a loop-free topology across multiple spanning trees in a virtual local area network
Granted: February 2, 2010
Patent Number:
7657619
A network includes a virtual local area network (VLAN) and multiple spanning tree protocol domains (STPDs). Switches in the network receive messages from other switches and select one path for continued transmission of data based on the content of the messages. The content of each message identifies the path through which the message was transmitted. After one path is selected, all other paths are blocked. Once paths are blocked, no messages are transmitted through those paths to the…
Pipelined packet processor
Granted: January 19, 2010
Patent Number:
7649879
A pipelined packet processor is described having at least one pipeline, the at least one pipeline having one or more processing slots. Packets are assigned to available ones of the slots, and each of one or more of the assigned packets are processed during one or more cycles of processing. Upon or after a packet has undergone one or more cycles of processing, a packet classification or filtering decision is derived for the packet.
Systems for supporting packet processing operations
Granted: January 12, 2010
Patent Number:
7646770
Several systems for supporting packet processing are described. A first system supports virtual routing of a packet. A second system supports de-multiplexing of a packet. A third system supports advanced MPLS label processing of a packet.
Forwarding database in a network switch device
Granted: January 12, 2010
Patent Number:
7646773
A layer-2 network switch device forwarding database implementation and method to access the forwarding database. A forwarding database (FDB) is implemented as a tree. A separate VLAN database is also structured as a tree. Each node in the tree represents a separate VLAN. For each VLAN, all associated ports are maintained in a data structure organized as a tree. Likewise, all port information is maintained in a tree-based data structure, and for each port, all VLAN information associated…
Methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating excess bandwidth of an output among network users
Granted: November 17, 2009
Patent Number:
7619971
Methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating excess bandwidth of an output among network users are disclosed. According to one method, packets associated with a plurality of network users for forwarding to an output are received. The packets can include a first non-committed information rate (CIR) packet associated with a first network user. The method can include a step for maintaining a count of non-CIR packets sent for the first network user. Further, the method can…
System and method for egress packet marking
Granted: November 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7613209
A packet processing system architecture and method are provided. According to one implementation, the system can include a first and second memory elements and a processor. The first memory element may be utilized for storing: A plurality of packet quality of service indicators; A first packet quality of service field; and A second packet quality of service field. The second memory element is utilized for storing a plurality of second packet quality of service indicators. The processor…
Ethernet automatic protection switching
Granted: October 20, 2009
Patent Number:
7606240
Preventing a loop in a virtual network that spans at least two rings when there is a failure in two or more segments shared between the rings. A node connected to one of the shared segments is designated as the root blocker node and prevents transmitting data traffic between the node and all the ports connected thereto that have not failed except for one, in response to detecting the failure. For one embodiment the root blocker node periodically transmits a path detect signal to validate…
Methods and systems for caching packets to be written to or read from packet memory
Granted: October 20, 2009
Patent Number:
7606249
Methods and systems for caching packets to improve utilization of packet memory are disclosed. In one method, packets to be written to a packet memory are accumulated in write caches on an egress queue basis. That is, each write cache stores packets corresponding to an egress queue in the system. When one of the queues has a size that corresponds to a burst length of the packet memory, the packets are written from the queue to the packet memory. Packets are read from the packet memory to…
Packet parser
Granted: October 20, 2009
Patent Number:
7606263
A packet parser is described that parses a packet by identifying the locations of respective packet layers. A staged approach to parsing the packet is employed whereby a first stage tests the packet data units within a first window for the presence of a first packet layer, and a second stage, at least partly in parallel with the first stage, tests the packet data units within a second overlapping window for the presence of a second packet layer. In response to an embedded packet…
Methods and systems for fine grain bandwidth allocation in a switched network element
Granted: October 13, 2009
Patent Number:
7602721
Methods and systems for fine grain bandwidth allocation are disclosed. According to one method, input is received from a user in a standard bandwidth denomination indicating bandwidth to be provided by a switched network element. The bandwidth is automatically converted into a base bandwidth value and a residual bandwidth value. The base bandwidth value is converted to a number of tokens to be placed in a token bucket every predetermined token bucket refresh interval. The residual…
