Packet processing approach to improve performance and energy efficiency for software routers
US9450780B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 27, 2012 |
| Grant date | Sep 20, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 28, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D10/00
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods, apparatus and systems for improved performance and energy efficiency of software-based routers. A software router running on a host computer system employing multiple Network Interface Controllers (NICs) maintains a routing table wherein packet flows are classified as managed flows (MFs) under which packets are received at and forwarded from the same NIC and unmanaged flows UFs under which packets are received at and forwarded from different NICs. Forwarding table data is employed by a NIC to facilitate packet identification and flow classification operations under which the NIC determines whether a received packet is an MF, UF, or an unclassified flow. Under various schemes, packet forwarding for MFs is handled by the software router architecture such that either only the packet header is copied into memory in the host or the entire packet forwarding is handled by the NIC.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.