Network interconnecting apparatus having a separate forwarding engine object at each interface
US5951649A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 8, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/18
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An interconnecting apparatus includes one or more interfaces. Each interface connects to a network. The interconnecting apparatus interconnects the networks attached to the interfaces. The device utilizes distributed autonomous forwarding engines on each interface in that each interface has a forwarding engine corresponding to it. Each forwarding engine only knows the configuration information and how to receive and transmit packets on the one interface to which it corresponds. Each forwarding engine acts independently to process packets, yet each interacts together to collectively provide packet forwarding which is protocol independent, interface independent, and scalable.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.