Routing in a multi-layer distributed network element
US5920566A · kind A · utility
233Cited by
87References
20Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 6, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L49/602
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-layer distributed network element for relaying packets according to known routing protocols. A distributed architecture of multiple subsystems delivers routing at wire-speed performance across subnetworks. Each subsystem includes a forwarding memory and an associated memory and is configured to identify unicast and multicast packets for routing purposes, modify the packets in hardware, including replace VLAN information, and forward the packets to the next hop. The routing decisions are made in the inbound subsystem, and packets are forwarded, if necessary given the network topology, through a separate outbound subsystem.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.