Interface for extending service capabilities of a network device
US8615009B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 22, 2010 |
| Grant date | Dec 24, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 16, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L45/745
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An example network device includes a network interface and a control unit that receives a packet having header information. The control unit includes a forwarding structure having a plurality of entries that each refers to one of a plurality of logical interfaces, a forwarding engine configured to access the forwarding structure to select a first logical interface to which to forward the packet based on the header information, wherein the first logical interface comprises a pseudo-device interface (PDI). The control unit also includes a PDI module that tunnels the packet to an external service complex (ESC) by at least applying a set of metadata to the packet, encapsulating the packet with a header, and forwarding the packet to the ESC via the network interface, and wherein the metadata allows the ESC to determine a set of services to be applied to the packet based on the metadata.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.