US 7,626,938 B1 · Local area network switch using control plane packet mirroring to support multiple network traffic analysis devices

Abstract

An Ethernet network device includes a port logic module that is associated with a device port of the Ethernet network device. A packet processing module includes an ingress processing module that receives an incoming packet and that generates a control traffic tag. An ingress command execution module receives the incoming packet and the control traffic tag, generates a duplicate packet that is identical to the incoming packet, and generates a device interface code that identifies the port logic module based on the control traffic tag. A control traffic routing module receives the duplicate packet and the device interface code and forwards the duplicate packet to the port logic module. A network traffic analysis device receives the duplicate packet. The port logic module replaces a first destination header of the duplicate packet with a second destination header that is identical to a destination header of the incoming packet.

Claims27

Dependent claims

An Ethernet network device, comprising:

a first port logic module that is associated with a device port of the Ethernet network device and that is identified by a device interface code;
and
a packet processing module that includes:
an ingress processing module that receives an incoming packet and that generates a control traffic tag;
an ingress command execution module that receives said incoming packet and said control traffic tag, that generates a first duplicate packet that is identical to said incoming packet, and that generates the device interface code that identifies said first port logic module based on said control traffic tag;
and
a control traffic routing module independent of said ingress command execution module that receives said first duplicate packet and said device interface code and that selectively forwards said first duplicate packet to said first port logic module and at least one control traffic processor based on said device interface code.

4 more elements

An Ethernet network device, comprising:

first port processing means for sending/receiving packets that is associated with a device port of the Ethernet network device and that is identified by a device interface code;
and
packet processing means for processing packets that includes:
ingress processing means for receiving an incoming packet and for generating a control traffic tag;
ingress command executing means for receiving said incoming packet and said control traffic tag, for generating a first duplicate packet that is identical to said incoming packet, and for generating the device interface code that identifies said first port processing means based on said control traffic tag;
and
control traffic routing means independent of said ingress command executing means for receiving said first duplicate packet and said device interface code and for selectively forwarding said first duplicate packet to said first port processing means and at least one control traffic processor based on said device interface code.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Local area network switch using control plane packet mirroring to support multiple network traffic analysis devices

Life of this patent

Local area network switch using control plane packet mirroring to support multiple network traffic analysis devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27