US 8,571,035 B2 · Method and apparatus for determining locations of fields in a data unit

Abstract

A packet processor for processing a data unit received from a network includes a header analyzer unit configured to obtain indications of locations in a header of the data unit of one or more fields to be parsed from the data unit to perform a packet processing operation on the data unit. The header analyzer unit comprises a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM), and a memory separate from the TCAM and coupled to an output of the TCAM, wherein a content of the TCAM and a content of the memory are programmable. The header analyzer unit is configured to obtain, responsive to a lookup of at least one portion of the data unit in the TCAM, indications of locations in a header of the data unit of one or more fields to be parsed from the data unit to perform a packet processing operation on the data unit. The packet processor further comprises a parser configured to parse the header using the indications of locations of one or more fields in the header to obtain data from the one or more fields.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for processing a data unit received from a network, the method comprising:

receiving a data unit at an input to a packet processor that is disposed in a communication network, the packet processor including i) a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM), ii) a memory separate from the TCAM, and iii) a parser separate from the TCAM and the memory, wherein a content of the TCAM and a content of the memory is programmable;
responsive to a lookup of at least one portion of the data unit in the TCAM, obtaining indications of locations in a header of the data unit of one or more fields to be parsed from the data unit to perform a packet processing operation on the data unit;
parsing the header with the parser using the indications of locations of one or more fields in the header to obtain data from the one or more fields;
and
performing a packet processing operation on the data unit using the data from the one or more fields parsed from the header.

2 more elements

A packet processor for processing a data unit received from a network, the packet processor comprising:

a header analyzer unit configured to obtain indications of locations in a header of the data unit of one or more fields to be parsed from the data unit to perform a packet processing operation on the data unit, wherein the header analyzer unit comprises:
a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM);
and
a memory separate from the TCAM and coupled to an output of the TCAM;
wherein a content of the TCAM and a content of the memory are programmable;
wherein the header analyzer unit is configured to obtain, responsive to a lookup of at least one portion of the data unit in the TCAM, indications of locations in a header of the data unit of one or more fields to be parsed from the data unit to perform a packet processing operation on the data unit;
wherein the packet processor further comprises a parser configured to parse the header using the indications of locations of one or more fields in the header to obtain data from the one or more fields.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for determining locations of fields in a data unit

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for determining locations of fields in a data unit

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20