Forwarding information base lookup method
US7606236B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 21, 2004 |
| Grant date | Oct 20, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 25, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/385
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for improving forwarding information base (FIB) lookup performance. An FIB is partitioned into a multiple portions that are distributed across segments of a multi-channel SRAM store to form a distributed FIB that is accessible to a network processor. Primary entries corresponding to a linked list of FIB entries are stored in a designated FIB portion. Secondary FIB entries are stored in other FIB portions (a portion of the secondary FIB entries may also be stored in the designated primary entry portion), enabling multiple FIB entries to be concurrently accessed via respective channels. A portion of the secondary FIB entries may also be stored in a secondary (e.g., DRAM) store. A depth level threshold is set to limit the number of accesses to a linked list of FIB entries by a network processor micro-engine thread, wherein an access depth that would exceed the threshold generates an exception that is handled by a separate execution thread to maintain line-rate throughput.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.