Fabric traffic management in a network device

A method in a network switch device, the network switch device including a plurality of ingress processors communicatively coupled to a plurality of egress processors via a switch fabric, the method comprising:

• receiving packets via ingress ports of the ingress processors;
• storing packets received via ingress ports of the ingress processors in memories of the ingress processors;
• creating descriptors for packets received via ingress ports of the ingress processors, each descriptor being having a smaller size than the corresponding packet;
• processing, at the ingress processors, the descriptors to at least determine for each descriptor an appropriate egress processor among the plurality of egress processors to which to transmit the descriptor;
• transmitting, via the switch fabric, descriptors from ingress processors to egress processors;
• and
• responsive to PULL messages received from egress processors, transmitting, via the switch fabric, packets corresponding to the PULL messages from ingress processors to the egress processors.

A network switch device, comprising:

• an ingress processor having (i) a plurality of ingress ports, and (ii) a packet memory to store packets received via the plurality of ingress ports;
• an egress processor having a plurality of egress ports;
• a switch fabric configured to communicatively couple the ingress processor to the egress processor;
• wherein the ingress processor is configured to:
• create descriptors for packets received via ingress ports, each descriptor having a smaller size than the corresponding packet,
• process the descriptors while the packets are stored in a memory associated with the ingress processor, and
• in response to receiving PULL messages from the egress processor, retrieve corresponding packets from the memory and transmit the retrieved packets to the egress processors via the switch fabric.

A method for managing internal traffic in switch having ingress processors and egress processors, the ingress and egress processors coupled by a switch fabric, the method comprising:

• receiving packets via ingress ports of an ingress processor;
• storing packets received via ingress ports of the ingress processor in a memory of the ingress processor;
• creating descriptors for packets received via ingress ports of the ingress processor, each descriptor being having a smaller size than the corresponding packet;
• processing, at the ingress processor, the descriptors while corresponding received packets are stored in the memory;
• and
• responsive to PULL messages received from an egress processor, transmitting, via a switch fabric, packets from the ingress processor to the egress processor.

A network switch device, comprising:

• a plurality of ingress processors, each ingress processor having a plurality of ingress ports;
• a plurality of egress processors, each egress processor having (i) a plurality of egress ports, and (ii) a plurality of egress queues corresponding to the plurality of egress ports;
• a switch fabric to communicatively couple the plurality of ingress processors to the plurality of egress processors;
• wherein each egress processor is configured to:
• receive, from ingress processors, descriptors corresponding to packets received by the ingress processors via the switch fabric, each descriptor having a smaller size than the corresponding packet,
• save descriptors in queues corresponding to egress ports via which packets corresponding to the descriptors are to be transmitted,
• perform an egress processing operation on descriptors stored in the queues,
• send, to ingress processors via the switch fabric, PULL messages corresponding descriptors stored in the queues, the PULL messages to prompt the ingress processors to transmit, via the switch fabric, corresponding packets,
• receive, via the switch fabric, packets from ingress processors responsive to the PULL messages, and
• transmit, via egress ports, packets received from ingress processors via the switch fabric.

A method in a network switch device, the network switch device including a plurality of ingress processors communicatively coupled to a plurality of egress processors via a switch fabric, the method comprising:

• receiving, at egress processors, descriptors from ingress processors via the switch fabric, the descriptors corresponding to packets received by the ingress processors, each descriptor being having a smaller size than the corresponding packet;
• responsive to descriptors, transmitting, via the switch fabric, PULL messages from egress processors to ingress processors, the PULL messages prompting ingress processors to transmit packets stored in memories of ingress processors;
• receiving, at egress processors, packets from ingress processors, the packets being transmitted in response to PULL messages;
• and
• transmitting, via egress ports of egress processors, packets received from ingress processors via the switch fabric.