Method and apparatus for packet classification
US8879550B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 2012 |
| Grant date | Nov 4, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 22, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L47/2483
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In one aspect, the present invention reduces the amount of low-latency memory needed for rules-based packet classification by representing a packet classification rules database in compressed form. A packet processing rules database, e.g., an ACL database comprising multiple ACEs, is preprocessed to obtain corresponding rule fingerprints. These rule fingerprints are much smaller than the rules and are easily accommodated in on-chip or other low-latency memory that is generally available to the classification engine in limited amounts. The rules database in turn can be stored in off-chip or other higher-latency memory, as initial matching operations involve only the packet key of the subject packet and the fingerprint database. The rules database is accessed for full packet classification only if a tentative match is found between the packet key and an entry in the fingerprint database. Thus, the present invention also advantageously minimizes accesses to the rules database.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.