US 5,920,705 A · Method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between routing and switching packets in a transmission network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between switching and routing packets efficiently to provide high packet throughput. The present invention provides a method for transmitting packets between an upstream node and a downstream node in a network that utilizes flow classification and labelling to redirect flows. The method includes the steps of establishing default virtual channels between the upstream node and the downstream node, receiving a packet at the downstream node, performing a flow classification at the downstream node on the packet to determine whether the packet belongs to a specified flow that should be redirected in the upstream node, selecting a free label at the downstream node, and informing the upstream node that future packets belonging to the specified flow should be sent with the selected free label attached. Other embodiments of the present invention include a basic switching unit, a switch gateway unit, and a switching agent for use in a system for transmitting packets in a network. Another embodiment includes system software, fixed on tangible media, that performs flow classification of packets to enable flow labelling and redirection to dynamically shift between Layer 3 IP packet routing and Layer 2 switching to optimize packet traffic throughput. A further embodiment provides a method for switching a flow at a first node in a network.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A basic switching unit in a system for transmitting packets in a network, said basic switching unit comprising:

a switching hardware;
a controller coupled to said switching hardware, wherein said controller includes a processor and memory, said controller controlling said switching hardware;
and
software, said software fixed on tangible media, wherein said software enables the basic switching unit to dynamically shift between packet routing and switching to optimize packet traffic throughput.

1 more element

A switching agent in a system for transmitting packets in a network, said system including a basic switching unit coupled to said switching agent via a communication link, said basic switching unit including a controller and a switching engine, said switching agent comprising:

a processor, a memory, and a plurality of NICs, a specific one of said plurality of NICs providing said communication link and at least one of said plurality of NICs connectable to at least one node in said network;
and
computer-readable program code, said computer-readable program code fixed on a tangible computer-readable media comprising said memory, wherein said computer-readable program code enables the controller of said basic switching unit to classify a flow and to redirect said flow of packets from a first node to a second node in said network, and wherein said computer-readable program code enables said controller of said basic switching unit to instruct said switching agent to perform packet forwarding of said flow from said first node to said second node via said switching engine, thereby offloading packet forwarding from said controller of said basic switching unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between routing and switching packets in a transmission network

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between routing and switching packets in a transmission network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31