Network relaying apparatus and network relaying method capable of high-speed routing and packet transfer

A network relaying apparatus connecting a plurality of networks for outputting the packets input from said networks, to the next transfer destination based on the route information, comprising:

• at least a network interface connected to the networks for controlling the interface with the networks;
• at least a routing processor connected to one or a plurality of said network interfaces for routing the packets input from said network interfaces;
• a routing manager for managing the internal components of the system;
• and
• a connector for connecting said routing manager and each of a plurality of said routing processors;
• wherein said routing processors each include:
• a packet buffer for storing an input packet;
• a high-speed readable and writable header memory accessible asynchronously with said packet buffer and adapted for storing the header information including the header and the internal header of the input packet;
• a route table for storing the route information including an internet protocol (IP) address of the next router corresponding to the destination IP address;
• an address search table for storing a media access control MAC address of the next router corresponding to the IP address of the next router;
• a flow search table for storing the action corresponding to the reference conditions including the IP headers of the source and the destination;
• a transfer engine for performing a receiving process for storing an input packet received from a network or the connector in said packet buffer, adding the internal header to the packet header and storing the resulting header information in said header memory, and a transmission process for reading the input packet from said packet buffer, producing an output packet from the input packet stored in said packet buffer and the header information stored in said header memory, and outputting said output packet to said connector or said network;
• and
• a search engine for performing an input search process for searching the transfer destination information with reference to said route table based on the header information stored in said header memory, and an output search process for searching the MAC address of the next router with reference to the address search table based on the IP address of the next router determined in said input search process and searching various action including QoS with reference to a flow search table.