US 5,684,954 AGranted

Method and apparatus for providing connection identifier by concatenating CAM's addresses at which containing matched protocol information extracted from multiple protocol header

AssigneeInternational Business Machine Corporation

InventorsMatthias Kaiserswerth, Erich Ruetsche

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Abstract

The present application concerns a method and an apparatus, in a communication network, for processing the various fields of a protocol header preceding a data stream to provide a unique connection identifier for processing the data stream. All relevant protocol information is extracted from the protocol header for look up in a Content-Addressable Memory (CAM) (80). Each time an entry in the CAM (80) matches protocol information applied to the CAM's input (84), the CAM address of this storage section, i.e. the address of a row of the CAM (80), is provided at the output (82) thereof. The CAM addresses obtained from the protocol header are concatenated by means of a Connection Number Builder (CNB, 95) resulting in a unique connection identifier provided at the Protocol Filter's output (96) to be used for the processing of the data stream.

Claims13

Dependent claims

Apparatus (10) for providing, for the processing of a data stream having a protocol header, a connection identifier being extracted from said header (20) of said data stream, said protocol header (20) comprising fields (22-24,25-27) of a first protocol and a second protocol, which builds on said first protocol, said apparatus comprising:

means for scanning (Protocol Type Detector, 90) said data stream to detect and read protocol-type information of said first protocol in said protocol header (20),
means for reading (Mask Generator, 91) protocol information in said fields (22-24, 25-27) of the first and second protocol of said protocol header (20),
means for applying said protocol-type information and said protocol information to an input (84) of a content-addressable memory (CAM, 80),
means for comparing said protocol-type information and said protocol information, applied to said input (84), with information stored in said CAM (80) and for providing the CAM address containing identical information at an output (82) of said CAM (80),
means for generating (Connection Number Builder, 95) said connection identifier by connecting the CAM addresses provided in said output (82) of said CAM (80).

2 more elements

Method for providing, for the processing of a data stream having a protocol header, a connection identifier, said connection identifier being extracted from said protocol header (20) of said data stream, said protocol header (20) comprising fields (22-24, 25-27) of a first protocol and fields of a second protocol, which builds on said first protocol, said method comprising the following steps:

a) scanning said protocol header (20) to read protocol-type information of said first protocol,
b) reading protocol information in said fields (22-24, 25-27) of the first and second protocol of said protocol header (20),
c) applying said protocol-type information and said protocol information, read in steps a) and b), to the input (84) of a content-addressable memory (CAM, 80),
d) comparing said protocol-type information and said protocol information with information stored in said CAM (80) and for providing the CAM address containing identical information at an output (82) of said CAM (80), and
e) generating said connection identifier by concatenating the CAM address provided at said output (82) of said CAM (80).

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/501,119Filed 9 Aug 1995
Granted: 4 Nov 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

H04L 45/7453
Address table lookup; Address filtering: using hashing
H04L 9/40
Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols: network security protocols
H04L 12/4625
LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone: single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
H04L 69/18
Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass:…