Pseudo wire processing in a packet forwarding device
AssigneeExtreme Networks, Inc.
InventorsCharles Frederick Burton, III, Tulasi S. Veguru, Meera Siva Kasinathan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for pseudo wire processing in a packet forwarding device in which a packet is processed based on whether the ports through which the packet is transmitted are real or pseudo wire ports. The inbound and outbound port information is encoded using a predefined range of index values such that index values falling within one range of values are used for passing real port information, and index values falling within another range of values are used for passing pseudo wire port information. The index values are used in a manner that facilitates efficient performance of pseudowire processing for the packets in the switch fabric component of the packet forwarding device.
Claims5
A computer-implemented method for pseudowire processing in a packet forwarding device, the method comprising:
- determining whether an inbound port through which a packet has been transmitted to a packet forwarding device is a real port or a pseudowire port, wherein determining is performed in conjunction with inbound port information stored in at least one of a forwarding data base and an inbound label map of the packet forwarding device;
- encoding the inbound port through which the packet is transmitted in a value of a first index having a predefined range of values representing real ports and pseudowire ports, the value based on whether the inbound port is determined to be the real port or the pseudowire port in conjunction with the stored inbound port information;
- encoding an outbound port through which the packet will be transmitted in a value of a second index having a predefined range of values representing real ports and pseudowire ports;
- and
- performing outbound packet processing for the packet in a switch fabric of the packet forwarding device based on determining, within their respective predefined range of values, where the first index value and the second index value fall, including:
- determining whether the packet is transmitted through the packet forwarding device homogeneously, wherein the respective predefined ranges within which the first and second index values fall both represent real ports or both represent pseudowire ports, or heterogeneously, wherein the respective predefined ranges within which the first and second index values fall represent different types of ports, one representing a real port and the other representing a pseudowire port;
- performing echo kill processing for packets transmitted homogenously;
- and
- bypassing echo kill processing for packets transmitted heterogeneously.
A packet-forwarding device for supporting pseudowire processing, the device comprising:
- real ports;
- pseudowire ports;
- inbound port information stored on the packet forwarding device for determining whether an inbound packet is transmitted on one of the real ports or pseudowire ports;
- outbound port information stored on the packet forwarding device for determining whether an outbound packet is transmitted on one of the real ports or the pseudowire ports;
- and
- a processor in which to:
- encode the inbound port information into an abstract port index having a predefined range of values representing the real ports and pseudowire ports;
- encode the outbound port information into an egress port tag index having a predefined range of values representing the real ports and pseudowire ports;
- perform outbound packet processing in accordance with the abstract port index and the egress port tag index, including:
- performing echo kill processing of packets that are transmitted through the packet forwarding device homogenously, wherein the respective predefined ranges within which the abstract port and egress port tag index values fall both represent real ports or both represent pseudowire ports;
- and
- bypassing echo kill processing of packets that are transmitted through the packet forwarding device heterogeneously, wherein the respective predefined ranges within which the abstract port and egress port tag index values fall represent different types of ports, one representing a real port and the other representing a pseudowire port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.