Method for bridging and routing data frames via a network switch comprising a special guided tree handler processor
US6907469B1 · kind B1 · utility
26Cited by
7References
16Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 11, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 14, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 11, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/60
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Certain Layer 3 protocol data frames propagated on a network are typically processed by a control point (CP) in a network switch. The logical bridging and routing functions required in this processing typically entail network device address look-ups in routing tables and address databases. Using the CP to perform these look-ups is expensive in terms of processor cycles and memory. To offload the CP, the bridging functions are performed a network processor in the switch. The network processor has specialized software and hardware enabling it to perform the required database look-ups faster and more efficiently than the CP.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.