Method and apparatus for operating a network switch in a CPU-less environment
US6625146B1 · kind B1 · utility
47Cited by
9References
27Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 23, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L49/354
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for operating a network switch without the use of a CPU. A control interface is used to connect the network switch to the external CPU. The control interface generates an initialization signal indicative of the absence of a CPU. Upon receiving the initialization signal, an internal rules checker initializes the network switch. The internal rules checker will then begin receiving data frames and forwarding them to the appropriate network stations based on a source address and destination address contained in the data frames.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.