Multipath discovery in switched ethernet networks
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsCyriel Minkenberg, Mircea R. Gusat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A network switch device receives a communication packet having a source MAC address s and a destination MAC address d at a switch port p. Then, the network switch device determines whether a valid routing table entry (s, p) exists, there by indicating that the source MAC address s is reachable via a switch port p. The network switch device further determines for the destination MAC address d whether there is at least one switch port q for which a valid routing table entry (d, q) exists, there by indicating that d is reachable via a switch port q. When the routing table entries (s, p) and (d, q) exist, the network switch device routes the communication packet to the switch port q.
Claims20
A method for routing a communication packet through a network switch device, the network switch device including at least one routing table and a plurality of switch ports, the method comprising:
- receiving a communication packet having a source address s and a destination address d at a switch port p;
- determining whether a valid routing table entry (s, p) exists in the at least one routing table;
- determining, for the destination address d, whether there is a switch port q for which a valid routing table entry (d, q) exists in the at least one routing table;
- and
- routing the communication packet to the switch port q, if the valid routing table entries (s, p) and (d, q) exist in the at least one routing table.
A system for routing a communication packet through a network switch device, the network switch device including at least one routing table and a plurality of switch ports, the system comprising:
- means for receiving a communication packet having a source address s and a destination address d at a switch port p;
- means for determining whether a valid routing table entry (s, p) exists in the at least one routing table;
- means for determining, for the destination address d, whether there is a switch port q for which a valid routing table entry (d, q) exists in the at least one routing table;
- and
- means for routing the communication packet to the switch port q, if the valid routing table entries (s, p) and (d, q) exist in the at least one routing table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.