Method and apparatus for forwarding network traffic
US6553000B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 5, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 22, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 5, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/54
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A switching device for forwarding network traffic to a desired destination on a network, such as a telephone or computer network. The switching device includes multiple ports and uses a lookup table to determine which port to forward network traffic over. The lookup table includes network addresses that are maintained in ascending or descending order. The lookup table also includes network address that differ in length. Fictitious network addresses may also be added to the lookup table to expedite searches in the lookup table. The fictitious network addresses are used in conjunction with a comparison field stored in the lookup table. The comparison field allows network addresses and collapsed network addresses (which represent groups of network addresses) to be stored within the same table. The collapsed network addresses allows for a reduction of overall lookup table size, thereby increasing the speed while reducing the cost of the switching device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.