Method and System for Processing Data Packets
The present invention provides an improved method and a system for processing data packets in a router. The router includes a plurality of input/output ports and more than one packet processing units. The packet processing units derive from a piece of information associated to each data packet one output port to forward the data packet to. In response to a data packet arriving at one input port one packet processing unit is determined. The determined packet processing unit is than requested to derive a respective output port. The output port is derived from a piece of information within the packet. An identification identifying the respective output port is in the following returned to the requesting unit. Finally, the data packet is forwarded to the identified output port. The method and system according to the present invention optimize advantageously resource utilization that leads to higher packet processing speed and helps to lower the costs and power requirements. Furthermore, it leads to increased fault tolerance, i.e. increased reliability.
8169146
European Patent Office Application No: 00114246.2 NOVELTY - A packet processing unit is selected among several packet processing units (PPU 11-PPU M) in response to entry of a data packet at an input port (114) of a router (110). A request is forwarded to the selected packet processing unit for acquiring information about the output port to which the packet is to be forwarded. USE - For processing data packets in switched communication network. ADVANTAGE - Resource utilization is optimized resulting in higher packet processing speed and lower power requirements.
Alternative title(s) : (en) Method and system for processing data packets
Patent number | Country code | Kind code | Date issued |
US7020153 | US | B2 | 2006-03-28 |
US2002136202 | US | A1 | 2002-09-26 |