Patent · US Expired

Switching ethernet controller

US5923660A · kind A · utility

55Cited by
26References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 28, 1997
Grant dateJul 13, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 28, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L49/351
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An Ethernet controller, for use within an Ethernet network of other Ethernet controller connected together by a bus, is provided. The Ethernet controller includes a plurality of ports including at least one bus port associated with ports connected to other switching Ethernet controllers, a hash table for storing addresses of ports within the Ethernet network, a hash table address control, a storage buffer including a multiplicity of contiguous buffers in which to temporarily store said packet, an empty list including a multiplicity of single bit buffers, a packet storage manager, a packet transfer manager and a write-only bus communication unit. The hash table address control hashes the address of a packet to initial hash table location values, changes the hash table location values by a fixed jump amount if the address values stored in the initial hash table location do not match the received address, and provides at least an output port number of the port associated with the received address. The packet storage manager associates the state of the bit of a single bit buffer with the empty or full state of an associated contiguous buffer and generates the address of a contiguous bu…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.