Simplified packet routing
AssigneeMellanox Technologies, Ltd.
InventorsZachy Haramaty, Diego Crupnicoff, Freddy Gabbay, Benny Koren, Amiad Marelli, Itamar Rabenstein, Ido Bukspan, Oded Zemer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for communication, includes routing unicast data packets among nodes in a network using respective Layer-3 addresses that are uniquely assigned to each of the nodes. Respective Layer-2 unicast addresses are assigned to the nodes in accordance with an algorithmic mapping of the respective Layer-3 addresses. The unicast data packets are forwarded within subnets of the network using the assigned Layer-2 addresses.
Claims10
A method for communication, comprising:
- receiving in an integrated router including routing logic and a plurality of layer-2 switches, multicast data packets, each having a Layer-3 multicast destination address and a Layer-2 multicast destination address corresponding to the Layer-3 multicast address in all of a plurality of subnets serviced by the integrated router and layer-2 switches;
- for at least one of the multicast data packets received by the integrated router:
- identifying, in accordance with a single lookup operation, a plurality of layer-2 output ports through which the at least one multicast data packet is to be forwarded by the integrated router, wherein the single lookup operation includes the integrated router looking up the Layer-2 multicast destination address only once and determining two or more subnets corresponding to the plurality of layer-2 output ports;
- and
- forwarding the at least one multicast data packet from the integrated router to the identified plurality of layer-2 output ports in the two or more subnets without changing the Layer-2 multicast destination address of the at least one multicast packet,
- wherein the forwarding of the at least one of the multicast data packets through at least one of the plurality of layer-2 output ports includes updating a time to live (TTL) value of the forwarded multicast data packet.
An apparatus for communication, implementing an integrated router including layer-2 switches, comprising:
- a plurality of layer-2 ports, which are configured to receive multicast data packets,
- wherein the received multicast data packets have a Layer-3 multicast destination address, and a Layer-2 multicast destination address corresponding to the Layer-3 address in all of a plurality of subnets serviced by the integrated router;
- a multicast forwarding table indicating for multicast addresses, through which of the plurality of ports packets directed to the multicast address are to be forwarded;
- and
- routing logic configured to:
- identify, in accordance with a single lookup operation, a plurality of layer-2 output ports through which at least one of the received multicast data packets is to be forwarded by the integrated router, wherein the single lookup operation includes the integrated router looking up the Layer-2 multicast destination address only once and determining two or more subnets corresponding to the plurality of layer-2 output ports;
- forward the at least one of the received multicast data packets from the integrated router to the identified plurality of layer-2 output ports in the two or more subnets without changing the Layer-2 multicast destination address of the at least one received multicast packet;
- and
- update a time to live (TTL) value of the forwarded multicast data packet when forwarding the packet through at least one of the plurality of layer-2 output ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.