Systems and methods for routing by network devices

A network device, comprising:

• a plurality of base-ports, each base-port having a plurality of sub-ports configured to operate independently as a port for sending and receiving information using one of a plurality of network links at a plurality of rates complying with a plurality of protocols;
• a scheduler that is configured to receive requests on behalf of the plurality of sub-ports for moving frames from a receive segment and for transmitting frames from a transmit segment of one of the base-ports;
• and
• a routing module having a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) maintained for storing a plurality of entries for routing frames that are received for the plurality of sub-ports complying with the plurality of protocols;
• wherein for a sub-port that operates as a Fibre Channel port, the TCAM stores a control field, a destination identifier field, a source identifier field and a start of frame field;
• and for a sub-port that operates as an Ethernet port, the TCAM stores an Ether type field indicating a frame type, a destination media access control field, source media access control field and a virtual local area network field;
• and wherein the TCAM provides a frame parameter matching function that is used to determine a steering action from a steering action memory that stores a plurality of steering action codes associated with the plurality of TCAM entries, where depending on a frame protocol type, the steering action codes are for dropping a frame, rejecting a frame and forwarding it to a processor, indicating that a destination port is valid for a frame, indicating that a frame is for a multicast group, indicating to use domain number offset routing for a frame and indicating to use domain and area based routing for a frame;
• and
• a steering register that is used for routing a received frame whose information does not match with the TCAM entries and the received frame is a Fibre Channel frame;
• wherein the requests from the plurality of sub-ports are generated by a request module after a destination for received frames is determined by the routing module that maintains the TCAM.

A machine-implemented method for routing a frame received by a network device, the method comprising:

• maintaining a plurality of entries at a ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) of a routing module for routing the frame for a base-port of the network device having a plurality of sub-ports configured to operate independently as a port for sending and receiving information using one of a plurality of network links at a plurality of rates complying with a plurality of protocols;
• wherein a sub-port that operates as a Fibre Channel port, the TCAM stores a control field, a destination identifier field, a source identifier field and a start of frame field;
• and a sub-port that operates as an Ethernet port, the TCAM stores an Ether type field indicating a frame type, a destination media access control field, source media access control field and a virtual local area network field;
• and wherein the TCAM provides a frame parameter matching function that is used to determine a steering action from a steering action memory that stores a plurality of steering action codes associated with the plurality of TCAM entries, where depending on a frame protocol type, the steering action codes are for dropping a frame, rejecting a frame and forwarding it to a processor, indicating that a destination port is valid for a frame, indicating that a frame is for a multicast group, indicating to use domain number offset routing for a frame and indicating to use domain and area based routing for a frame;
• searching the TCAM to determine if information regarding the frame matches any of the TCAM entries;
• determining a steering code from the steering action memory at the routing module associated with a matching TCAM entry;
• providing a destination information to a request module for routing the frame;
• and
• using a steering register of the routing module when there is no matching entry at the TCAM and the frame is a Fibre Channel frame.