Efficient buffer utilization for network data units
US10938739B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 9, 2018 |
| Grant date | Mar 2, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L47/41
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for efficiently buffering data units within a network device. A traffic manager or other network device component receives Transport Data Units (“TDUs”), which are sub-portions of Protocol Data Units (“PDUs”). Rather than buffer an entire TDU together, the component divides the TDU into multiple Storage Data Units (“SDUs”) that can fit in SDU buffer entries within physical memory banks. A TDU-to-SDU Mapping (“TSM”) memory stores TSM lists that indicate which SDU entries store SDUs for a given TDU. Physical memory banks in which the SDUs are stored may be grouped together into logical SDU banks that are accessed together as if a single bank. The TSM memory may include a number of distinct TSM banks, with each logical SDU bank having a corresponding TSM bank. Techniques for maintaining inter-packet and intra-packet linking data compatible with such buffers are also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.