Progressive MAC address learning
US10284469B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 2017 |
| Grant date | May 7, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 29, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W88/14
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention provides a switch in a network of interconnected switches. The switch includes a storage device, a hardware management apparatus, and a layer-2 management apparatus. The storage device stores a forwarding table, which includes an entry comprising a MAC address and an egress port for the MAC address. The hardware management apparatus determines whether a destination MAC address of a frame is present in a hardware table in memory of the switch. The layer-2 management apparatus, in response to a determination that the destination MAC address is not present in the hardware table, looks up a first entry comprising the destination MAC address in the forwarding table, and creates a second entry comprising the destination MAC address in the hardware table based on the first entry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.