Patent · US Expired

Sliced comparison engine architecture and method for a LAN switch

US6034957A · kind A · utility

64Cited by
12References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 24, 1998
Grant dateMar 7, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 24, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L47/50
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A packet switching device having a central shared memory and a number of medium access controllers each coupled to a communications medium to exchange data packets therewith, and a controller coupled to each medium access controller via a data path to exchange data packets with the media access controller. The controller has a number of data path controllers each connected to each medium access controller via a separate and like portion of the data path to exchange a corresponding portion of the data packets with the medium access controller. The data path controllers each have a number of buffers each connected to one of the medium access controllers to which the data path controller is connected, to hold the portion of the data packets exchanged with the corresponding medium access controller. Each data path controller has a selector that selects the buffer from which to transmit or receive the portion of the data packets with the central shared memory and control logic that controls the selector to concurrently select the buffer corresponding to the same medium access controller. A comparison engine associated with each data path controller detects the slice of a field in a data…

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