Fallback to Bridging in Programmable Network ASICs
AssigneeArista Networks, Inc.
InventorsVishnu Vardhan K, Basil Saji, Anirudh Singh, Ram Prasad Gudiwada
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Abstract
Techniques are provided that enable a programmable network application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to switch over from L3 forwarding (i.e., routing) to L2 forwarding (i.e., bridging) an L3 network packet in certain scenarios, such as a scenario in which the packet fails to meet one or more criteria defined by a routing protocol. In various embodiments, this switchover (referred to as “fallback to bridging”) is achieved by leveraging programmable aspects of the ASIC's packet processing pipeline.
Claims20
A method performed by a programmable network application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) of a network device, the method comprising:
- detecting that a Layer 3(L3 ) packet cannot be routed in a scenario where an L3 forwarding information base (FIB) of the network device has valid L3 forwarding information for the L3 packet;
- and
- in response to the detecting, modifying, via one or more pipeline stages of a packet processing pipeline of the programmable network ASIC, pipeline metadata associated with the L3 packet, wherein the modifying causes the packet processing pipeline to bridge, rather than route, the L3 packet.
A network device comprising:
- a central processing unit (CPU);
- and
- a programmable network application-specific circuit (ASIC) with a packet processing pipeline comprising one or more pipeline stages, the programmable network ASIC being configured to:
- detect that a Layer 3(L3 ) packet cannot be routed in a scenario where an L3 forwarding information base (FIB) of the network device has valid L3 forwarding information for the L3 packet;
- and
- in response to the detecting, modify, via the one or more pipeline stages of the packet processing pipeline, pipeline metadata associated with the L3 packet, wherein the modifying causes the packet processing pipeline to bridge, rather than route, the L3 packet.
A method performed by one or more programmable logic elements of a programmable network application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the method comprising:
- detecting that a Layer 3(L3 ) packet cannot be routed;
- and
- in response to the detecting, modifying pipeline metadata associated with the L3 packet, wherein the modifying causes the packet processing pipeline to bridge, rather than route, the L3 packet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.