System and method of a high buffered high bandwidth network element

A method of processing packets in a network element, the network element comprising a plurality of network interfaces and a data plane coupled to the plurality of network interfaces,

• the plurality of network interfaces comprising a plurality of ingress interfaces and a plurality of egress interfaces, each of the plurality of ingress interfaces corresponding to an external queue (EQ) interface or a non-external queue (non-EQ) interface,
• the data plane comprising:
• a plurality of external queues associated with ingress interfaces that correspond to EQ interfaces;
• a packet storage unit coupled to the plurality of external queues;
• and a packet switch unit external to and coupled to the packet storage unit,
• the method comprising:
• receiving a packet on one of the plurality of ingress interfaces of the network element, wherein
• when the received packet is received on an ingress interface that corresponds to an EQ interface:
• forwarding the received packet to the packet storage unit to enqueue the received packet on an external queue selected from among a plurality of external queues associated with said one of the ingress interfaces;
• receiving the packet from the packet storage unit by signaling the external queue to provide the enqueued packet;
• and
• forwarding the provided enqueued packet to one of the plurality of egress interfaces, and
• when the received packet is received on an ingress interface that corresponds to a non-EQ interface:
• determining whether the received packets is to be (1) forwarded without storing it or (2) stored prior to forwarding it;
• and
• in response to determining that the received packets is to be forwarded without storing it, forwarding the received packet to one of the plurality of egress interfaces.

A network element configured to process a plurality of packets, the network element comprising:

• a plurality of network interfaces to communicate the plurality of packets, the plurality of network interfaces including a plurality of egress interfaces and a plurality of ingress interfaces, each of the plurality of ingress interfaces corresponding to one of an externally-queued interface and a non-externally-queued interface, wherein an incoming packet received at an ingress interface corresponding to an externally-queued interface is to be stored in one of a plurality of external queues;
• a data plane, coupled to the plurality of network interfaces, configured to process the plurality of packets, wherein the data plane includes:
• the plurality of external queues to store the plurality of packets received at ingress interfaces that correspond to an externally-queued interface prior to transmitting the plurality of packets;
• a packet storage unit, coupled to the plurality of external queues, to control the storing of the plurality of packets in the plurality of external queues;
• and
• a packet switch unit, external to and coupled to the packet storage unit, the packet switch unit, for each of the plurality of packets, receives the packet from one of the plurality of ingress interfaces,
• wherein for each packet received on an ingress interface corresponding to one of an externally-queued interface, the packet switch unit:
• forwards the packet to the packet storage unit for storage in a corresponding one of the plurality of external queues;
• receives the packet from the packet storage unit;
• and
• forwards the packet to one of the plurality of egress interfaces of the plurality of network interfaces;
• wherein for each packet received on an ingress interface corresponding to one of a non-externally-queued interface, the packet switch unit:
• determines whether each of the plurality of packets received on an ingress interface corresponding to one of a non-externally-queued interface is to be forwarded without storing;
• and
• upon determining such packet is to be forwarded without storing, forwards such packet to one of the plurality of egress interfaces without storing.