Mutual table for enhancing software and hardware switched packet flow forwarding
US7251245B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 6, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 27, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/54
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The invention relates to a router or switch in a broadband network operating through packet flow forwarding. The router provides a CPU switched software flow (12) and a hardware switched accelerated flow (10) in accordance with Hierarchical Flow Forwarding (HEF) by utilizing a mutual flow table (20) partitioned into at least a hardware part (22), an intermediate part (24) and a software part (26) for flow forwarding. The table is examined on a regular basis determined by a time period, and sorted by the ratio of number of packets per time period. It is filled up with the highest ratios in the hardware part (22, 22a), the intermediate ratios in the intermediate part (24, 22a, 26a) and the lowest ratios in the software part (26). Those packet flows that qualified for the intermediate flow (22a, 26a) in a previous examining remain in their memory space if they still qualify for the intermediate part (24). This prevents the exchange between memory spaces (22a, 26a) within the intermediate part of the table relieving the CPU from this workload.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.