JP2009027758A - Network relay apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform multicasting, at a network relay apparatus, through link aggregation over a plurality of boards. <P>SOLUTION: When sending a multicast packet to a port that performs link aggregation over a plurality of packet processing boards, in a network relay apparatus, a receiving-side packet processing board sends the packet to a cross bar switch while adding thereto a bit map designating the packet processing board to which the packet is to be sent. In that case, the packet processing board to which all physical ports belonging to all link aggregation ports that send out multicast packets are connected is instructed to send the packet. The cross bar switch sends the packet to the transmitting-side packet processing board indicated by the bit map. All the transmitting-side packet processing boards select output destination physical ports according to the same algorithm and if the output destination physical port belongs to the present board, the packet is sent thereto but if the physical port belongs to any other board, the packet is discarded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a network relay device that relays a network.

  In general, a network relay device such as a repeater hub or a layer 2 switch is used for wiring between network devices. The repeater hub is a device for simply connecting a plurality of network devices electrically. On the other hand, the layer 2 switch has a function of transferring an input packet to an optimum physical port according to the destination address. In recent offices, a layer 2 switch is often used instead of a repeater hub in order to suppress an increase in traffic accompanying an increase in network equipment. In recent years, a network relay device called a layer 3 switch is also used to construct a larger-scale network. The layer 3 switch has a router function in addition to the bridge function of the layer 2 switch.

  Some of the above-described layer 2 switches and layer 3 switches have a function called link aggregation. Such a function is a function that realizes expansion of bandwidth and securing of redundancy by treating a plurality of physical ports connected between LAN switches as one logical port (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-9866

  The network relay device needs to cope with an increasing network transmission speed of 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps, and needs to perform more complicated processing such as an increase in multicast applications and a link aggregation function. There is. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables more efficient network relay processing in a network relay device and can cope with higher speeds.

  In order to solve the above problems, the first network relay device of the present invention is configured as follows. That is, a network relay device that can be handled as one logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports, the packet input unit for inputting a packet, and the packet to be output to the logical port, An extraction unit that extracts destination address information included in the packet and identification information for identifying an application that uses the packet; and a physical port used for output of the packet among the physical ports constituting the logical port is the destination The gist includes a physical port selection unit that selects according to address information and the identification information, and a packet output unit that outputs the packet to the destination address using the selected physical port.

  As identification information for specifying an application, for example, a TCP / UDP port number can be cited. In the present invention, when a packet is output by a logical port, a physical port that actually outputs the packet is selected according to such identification information and the destination address information of the packet. In this way, packets addressed to the same address or application can be handled as packets belonging to the same flow and output from the same physical port. When packets belonging to the same flow are output from different physical ports, a so-called packet overtaking, in which a later transmitted packet reaches the destination earlier than a previously transmitted packet due to a slight timing shift, Problems may occur. When a packet is overtaken, processing for restoring the order of the packets again occurs in the device that has received the packet. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to avoid such a packet overtaking problem, and thus it is possible to relay the network efficiently.

  In the first network relay device, the physical port selection unit obtains a hash value by a predetermined hash function using the destination address information and the identification information, and selects a physical port associated with the hash value It is good also as what to do. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently use the physical port according to the destination address information and the identification information.

  In order to solve the above problems, the second network relay device of the present invention is configured as follows. That is, a network relay device that can be handled as one logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports, accommodates a predetermined number of lines, and controls input / output of packets to / from each line. A plurality of packet control units, each of the packet control units, for a packet to be output to the logical port, a determination unit for determining whether the packet is a processing target of the packet control unit; The gist of the present invention is to include a packet output unit that outputs the packet when it is determined to be a processing target.

  Since the logical port is a line composed of a plurality of physical ports, it may be set across a plurality of packet control units. Therefore, in the present invention, when outputting a packet using a logical port, each packet control unit determines whether or not to output a packet independently. By doing so, the processing load is distributed and packets can be output efficiently.

  In the second network relay device, the packet output unit may discard the packet when the determination unit determines that the packet is not a processing target. With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid confusion associated with redundant packet output.

  In order for the packet control unit to determine whether or not the packet to be output is its processing target, for example, in the second network relay device, each of the packet control units further includes the logical port. A physical port selection unit that selects a physical port to be used for outputting the packet based on a predetermined setting from among the physical ports to be configured; and the determination unit is configured such that the selected physical port is a target to be controlled by the packet control unit. In some cases, the packet can be determined to be processed by the packet control unit.

  In the network relay device having such a configuration, the physical port selection unit obtains a hash value by a predetermined hash function using destination address information included in the packet and identification information for specifying an application using the packet, The physical port associated with the hash value may be selected. In this way, packets belonging to the same flow can be output from the same physical port.

  In order to solve the above problems, the third network relay device of the present invention is configured as follows. That is, a network relay device capable of controlling communication through a plurality of physical ports, which accommodates a predetermined number of lines and includes a plurality of packet control units for controlling input / output of packets to / from each line. A packet type determination unit that determines whether an input packet is a unicast packet or a multicast packet, and when a unicast packet is input, a line to which the unicast packet is transferred is set to a predetermined setting. And a unicast output line selector that forwards the unicast packet to a packet controller that accommodates the line, and at least one of the packet controllers based on a predetermined setting when a multicast packet is input. Multicast packet distribution to distribute the multicast packet If, in the case where the multicast packet is distributed, a line for outputting the multicast packet, and summarized in that comprises a multicast output line selection unit, the selecting based on a predetermined setting.

  According to the present invention, if the input packet is a unicast packet, the packet control unit on the input side selects the line on which the packet is output, and the packet is sent to the packet control unit on the output side to which the line is connected. Forward. If it is a multicast packet, the packet is transferred from the packet controller on the input side to one or more packet controllers on the output side via the multicast packet distributor. Each output side packet control unit selects one or a plurality of lines to be output. Accordingly, since the multicast packet is deployed in plural by both the multicast packet distribution unit and the output side packet control unit, an increase in traffic in the apparatus can be suppressed and high-performance multicast relay can be realized.

  In the third network relay device, the network relay device can handle a plurality of physical ports as a single logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports, and the unicast output line selection unit can select the selected line. Is the logical port, a physical port used for outputting the unicast packet may be selected based on a predetermined setting from among the physical ports constituting the logical port. By doing so, a unicast packet can be output using a logical port.

  In the third network relay device, the network relay device can handle a plurality of physical ports as a single logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports, and the multicast output line selector selects the selected port. When the line is the logical port, a physical port used for output of the multicast packet may be selected based on a predetermined setting among physical ports constituting the logical port. By doing so, it is possible to output a multicast packet using a logical port.

  In the network relay device having such a configuration, the multicast output line selection unit may discard the distributed multicast packet when the selected physical port is not controlled by the packet control unit. In such a configuration, a plurality of physical lines are bundled and handled as one line, and an output destination is set when a failure occurs in any one of the plurality of physical lines bundled together. When switching to another physical line in the bundled physical lines, the packet is sent to all the packet control units that accommodate any of the bundled physical lines, and the output line selection unit By controlling to output a packet from only one of the bundled physical lines and discard the packet before outputting to other physical lines, the physical line can be switched at high speed.

  The various aspects described above in the present invention can be applied by appropriately combining or omitting some of them. Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration as the various network relay devices described above, and may be, for example, a network relay method, a computer program for relaying the network, a computer-readable recording medium storing such a program, or the like. Can be configured. In any configuration, the above-described aspects can be appropriately applied. As a computer-readable recording medium, various media such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, and a hard disk can be used.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order based on examples.
A. Schematic configuration of network relay device:
B. The structure of each table:
(B1) Route table:
(B2) Link aggregation table:
C. Overview of network relay device operation:
(C1) During unicast relay:
(C2) During multicast relay:
D. Packet input processing:
E. Packet output processing:

A. Schematic configuration of network relay device:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a network relay device 100 as an embodiment. The network relay device 100 according to this embodiment is a so-called LAN switch, and has a bridge function and a router function, and also has a link aggregation function. Link aggregation is a function capable of bundling a plurality of physical ports and handling them as one logical port, and can increase bandwidth and ensure redundancy. FIG. 1 shows a logical port LA1 configured by bundling five physical ports and a logical port LA2 configured by bundling two physical ports. Each logical port can be identified by an identification number called a link aggregation ID (“LA-ID” in the figure).

  The network relay device 100 is roughly divided into a control unit 110, a crossbar switch 120, a packet control unit 130 (hereinafter referred to as “PPU 130”), and a network interface unit 140 (hereinafter referred to as “NIF 140”). ). In this embodiment, three PPUs 130 are connected to the crossbar switch 120, and one or two NIFs 140 are connected to each PPU 130, respectively.

  The control unit 110 is a unit that performs overall control of the network relay device 100, and includes a CPU, a memory, and the like. The control unit 110 is connected to each PPU 130 via a PCI bus (not shown), and controls each PPU 130 via this PCI bus. The control unit 110 also provides a web-based setting user interface to a management computer connected via a network. The administrator can set the route table and the like by using this user interface. In addition, the control unit 110 performs distribution of a routing table to each PPU 130 and processing of a routing protocol.

  The PPU 130 is a module for controlling packet input / output. Each PPU 130 is assigned an identification number, as indicated by # 0, # 1, and # 2 in the figure. Each PPU 130 includes a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, a search engine 134, and a table storage unit 135. A program for controlling the PPU 130 is recorded in the ROM 133, and the CPU 131 executes the program by using the RAM 133 as a work area.

  The search engine 134 performs route search using various tables recorded in the table storage unit 135. In this embodiment, the route search refers to searching for an interface that outputs a packet in accordance with the destination address of the input packet. Although the search engine 134 can be realized by software, it is preferable that the search engine 134 is configured by an ASIC designed exclusively for route search in order to perform processing at high speed.

  The table storage unit 135 stores a route table, a link aggregation table, and the like. Details of these tables will be described later. The table storage unit 135 can be constituted by, for example, a special memory called CAM (Content-Address Memory), a DRAM, or the like.

  The NIF 140 is a module for physically connecting a network line such as 10BASE-5, 10BASE-T, and 100BASE-TX to the network relay device 100. The NIF 140 includes a packet transfer engine 141 (hereinafter referred to as “PFP”) and a physical port 142 for connecting a network line. The PFP 141 controls packet transfer to the physical port 142 based on an instruction from the PPU 130. Each PFP 141 and physical port 142 are assigned identification numbers as shown in the figure.

  The crossbar switch 120 is an element for switching the transmission path at high speed when transferring a packet between the PPUs 130. When the PPU 130 transfers a packet via the crossbar switch 120, the PPU 130 attaches additional information such as a bitmap, an MC flag, and output destination information to the packet. Transmission path switching is performed by analyzing the bitmap thus added.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of additional information and a packet. The three bits of the illustrated bitmap indicate whether or not to transfer packets to PPU # 0, PPU # 1, and PPU # 2 in order from the left side. Therefore, for example, if “001” is set as a bitmap, the packet is transferred to PPU # 2 by the crossbar switch 120. If it is set to “110”, it is transferred to both PPU # 0 and PPU # 1. The “MC flag” is a flag for indicating the type of packet to be transferred. “0” indicates a unicast packet, and “1” indicates a multicast packet. The output destination information is information for designating identification numbers of the PPU 130, PFP 141, and physical port 142 that output the packet. This output destination information is used when transferring a unicast packet.

The packet includes information such as a destination MAC address, a source MAC address, a destination IP address, a source IP address, a destination TCP port number, a source TCP port number, and data. In the description of this embodiment, “destination address” refers to a destination MAC address among these. However, there is no problem even if the destination IP address is applied. Further, the term “packet” in the present embodiment is synonymous with a so-called “Ethernet (registered trademark) frame”.

B. The structure of each table:
(B1) Route table:
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of the route table stored in the table storage unit 135. The route table is a table for searching for an output destination interface using the destination address of the input packet as a key.

  In the illustrated example, destination address A is associated with PPU # 0, PFP # 0, and physical port # 1 as output destination interfaces, and for destination address B, the logic of link aggregation ID # 1. Assume that ports are associated. Here, the PPU number assigned to each PPU 130 is a binary number from “0000” to “1110”, and “1111” is handled as an identifier indicating that the output destination interface is a logical port. .

The destination address C shown in the figure is assumed to be a multicast address. Multicast refers to copying and distributing packets having the same contents to a plurality of destinations registered in advance. Therefore, a multicast address may be associated with a plurality of output destination interfaces as illustrated. In the figure, an example in which the following three output destination interfaces are registered in one multicast address C is shown.
(1) PPU # 1, PFP # 0, physical port # 0;
(2) PPU # 1, PFP # 1, physical port # 0;
(3) Logical port of link aggregation ID # 2;

  For the multicast address, the bitmap used for switching of the crossbar switch 120 is also registered in advance in the route table. By doing so, the PPU 130 can quickly transfer the multicast packet to each PPU 130 serving as an output destination interface.

  The route table described above is basically set by the administrator using the management computer described above. However, although detailed explanation is omitted here, it is also possible to automatically set a unicast address by MAC address learning processing and a multicast address by IGMP snooping. When performing the MAC address learning process, a port table as shown in FIG. 4 is used. In the port table, a physical port number and a PPU number, a PFP number, or a link aggregation ID to which the physical port belongs are recorded in association with each other. Therefore, each PPU 130 automatically sets the route table by associating the source address of the input packet with the PPU number and link aggregation ID obtained by referring to the port table and recording them in the route table. can do.

(B2) Link aggregation table:
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of the link aggregation table recorded in the table storage unit 135. In the link aggregation table, for each link aggregation ID, a set of physical ports constituting the logical port and the number (path number) are defined. FIG. 5 shows a link aggregation table of the logical port LA1 exemplified in FIG. In the figure, “En” means “Enable” and is a flag indicating whether or not the entry is valid. “1” indicates that it is valid, and “0” indicates that it is invalid. According to this table, the logical port LA2 is composed of the following five physical ports.

(1) PPU # 1, PFP # 1, physical port # 1;
(2) PPU # 1, PFP # 1, physical port # 2;
(3) PPU # 2, PFP # 0, physical port # 0;
(4) PPU # 2, PFP # 0, physical port # 1;
(5) PPU # 2, PFP # 0, physical port # 2;

  The network relay device 100 can output the input packet from the optimum output destination interface by performing a route search using the route table and the link aggregation table described above.

C. Overview of network relay device operation:
(C1) During unicast relay:
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a basic relay operation of the network relay device 100 when a unicast packet is input. First, the input-side PPU # 0 that has input the unicast packet searches the routing table for the output destination interface associated with the destination address of the packet. Then, the input side PPU # 0 designates the output destination interface by the additional information and transfers the packet to the output side PPU # 2. Upon receiving the packet transfer, the output-side PPU # 2 outputs the packet from the output destination interface thus designated.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation when a link aggregation ID is searched as an output destination interface in the route search of the input side PPU # 0 described above. In this case, the input-side PPU # 0 further refers to the link aggregation table corresponding to the link aggregation ID, and selects one output destination interface from the registered output destination interfaces by a predetermined method. . This selection method will be described later. Then, PPU # 0 designates the selected output destination interface with the additional information and transfers the packet to output PPU # 2. Receiving the packet transfer, PPU # 2 outputs the packet from the output destination interface thus designated.

  As described above, when a unicast packet is input, the network relay device 100 according to the present embodiment performs a detailed route search including processing associated with link aggregation at the input side PPU 130 that has input the packet. . Therefore, the output side PPU 130 may output a packet from the physical port designated by the input side PPU 130 regardless of whether or not the logical port is used. Therefore, the load on the output side PPU 130 can be reduced.

(C2) During multicast relay:
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a basic relay operation of the network relay device 100 when a multicast packet is input. First, the input-side PPU # 0 that has input the multicast packet searches for a bitmap from the route table. Then, the bit map is added and the packet is transferred to the crossbar switch 120. The crossbar switch analyzes the bitmap attached to the packet, and copies and distributes the packet to each PPU 130 corresponding to the bitmap. Thus, the output side PPUs # 1 and # 2 that have received the packet distribution search the output destination interface from the route table using the destination address of the packet as a key, and output the packet from the searched physical port. However, since a plurality of output destination interfaces are associated with the routing table for the multicast packet, each PPU 130 may output the packet only for the output interface managed by itself among the searched output destination interfaces. .

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation when a link aggregation ID is searched as an output destination interface in the route search of the output side PPUs # 1 and # 2. In this case, the output side PPUs # 1 and # 2 further refer to the link aggregation table corresponding to the link aggregation ID, and select one output destination from the registered output destination physical ports by a predetermined method. Select a physical port. The output side PPUs # 1 and # 2 output packets from the output destination physical ports thus selected. However, if the selected output destination physical port is not under its own management, the packet is discarded (see PPU # 2 in the figure).

  The reason why the link aggregation output destination physical port selection processing is changed to the input side PPU # 0 in the case of unicast while the location of the link aggregation output destination physical port selection process is changed to the output side PPU # 1 and # 2 in the case of multicast. Is described below.

  In the case of unicast, only one packet needs to be transmitted from the device when one packet is received. Therefore, the output destination physical port selection process for link aggregation need only be performed once, and the input side PPU # Processing at 0 does not cause a processing performance bottleneck.

  On the other hand, in the case of multicast, when one packet is received, it is generally necessary to send the packet from a plurality of physical ports and a plurality of link aggregation ports, and for each of the plurality of link aggregation ports. Since it is necessary to perform processing for selecting one output destination physical port, the input side PPU # 0 performs processing for selecting the output destination physical port for the number of times corresponding to all output link aggregation ports. This is to solve the problem that the packet processing performance of PPU # 0 decreases in proportion to the number of output link aggregation ports.

  Only the output destination physical ports managed by the output side PPUs # 1 and # 2 are subjected to the process of selecting the output destination physical port of the link aggregation port, so that packets are transmitted to a plurality of link aggregation ports by multicast. Can be distributed among a plurality of PPUs # 1 and # 2 and the multicast relay performance of the apparatus can be improved.

  Here, when a plurality of physical ports belonging to one link aggregation port exist across a plurality of PPUs # 1 and # 2, a process of selecting an output destination physical port of the link aggregation port is performed. Need to follow the same algorithm.

  If this is performed according to a different algorithm between a plurality of PPUs # 1 and # 2, the physical port under their management is not selected for any PPU # 1 or # 2, and belongs to the link aggregation port. The problem is that no packet is transmitted from the physical port, and conversely, a plurality of PPUs # 1 and # 2 each select a physical port under their management, and a plurality of physical units belonging to one link aggregation port. This is because there is a problem that a packet is sent out a plurality of times in total from the port.

  As described above, when a multicast packet is input, the network relay device 100 according to the present embodiment performs processing associated with detailed route search and link aggregation at the PPU 130 on the output side of the packet. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the input side PPU 130 and to distribute the load.

D. Packet input processing:
Below, the detailed process for implement | achieving each relay operation mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of packet input processing executed by each PPU 130. First, when a packet is input via the NIF 140 (step S10), the PPU 130 searches the route table using the destination address of the packet as a key (step S11). If the bitmap is searched as a result of the search (step S12: 1), it is determined that the input packet is a multicast packet, the MC flag of the additional information is turned on (step S13), and the process proceeds to step S17. To migrate. When the PPU number, PFP number, and physical port number are searched (step S12: 2), the process proceeds to step S16.

  When the link aggregation ID is searched in the search in step S11 (step S12: 3), the following processing is performed. First, a hash value is calculated by the following procedure using the destination address and destination TCP port number of the input packet (step S14).

(1) The destination address and the destination TCP port number are divided into 8 bits, and each is added. However, carry is ignored.
(2) The added value is reversed in bit order to obtain a hash value. The possible range of the hash value is 0-255.

  Further, the following calculation is performed using this hash value. However, the calculation result shall be rounded down.

  Entry number = ((hash value) × (number of physical ports constituting the logical port)) / 256;

  Then, the PPU number, PFP number, and physical port number corresponding to the entry number are searched from the link aggregation table (step S15), and the search result is set as additional information as output destination information (step S16). When the PPU number, PFP number, and physical port number are searched in step S11, the search result is set as additional information.

  Next, the PPU 130 sets a bitmap as additional information in accordance with the PPU number searched in step S11 or S15 (step S17). For example, when PPU # 0 is searched, the bitmap is “100”, and when PPU # 1 is searched, it is “010”. When a bitmap is retrieved in step S11, the retrieved bitmap is set as additional information.

  Finally, the PPU 130 transfers the packet together with the additional information to the crossbar switch 120 (step S18). When the crossbar switch 120 receives the transfer of the packet, the crossbar switch 120 transfers the packet and the additional information to the PPU 130 specified by the bitmap in the additional information. When a plurality of PPUs 130 are specified by the bitmap, the additional information and the packet are copied and distributed to each PPU 130.

E. Packet output processing:
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of packet output processing executed by each PPU 130. First, when a packet is input from the crossbar switch 120 (step S30), the PPU 130 checks the state of the MC flag set in the additional information of the packet (step S31). If the MC flag is off (step S31: No), that is, if the input packet is a unicast packet, the output information is already set in the additional information by the packet input process, so the PPU 130 Analyzes the additional information (step S32), and outputs the packet from the PFP 141 and the physical port 142 designated as the output destination interface (step S33).

  When the MC flag is on (step S31: Yes), since the input packet is a multicast packet, the output destination interface is not specified by the input side PPU 130. Therefore, the route search is performed by the output side PPU 130 by the following processing. First, the output destination interface is searched from the route table using the destination address of the packet as a key (step S34). As for a multicast packet, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of output destination interfaces may be searched. Next, it is determined whether or not a link aggregation ID exists in the searched output destination interface (step S35). When the link aggregation ID exists (step S35: Yes), the hash value is calculated by the method described above using the destination address and destination TCP port number of the input packet (step S36), and the entry number is further changed. calculate. Then, the PPU number, PFP number, and physical port number corresponding to this entry number are searched from the ring aggregation table (step S37). If the link aggregation ID is not included (step S35: No), these processes (steps S36 and S37) are not performed.

  Next, the PPU 130 checks, for each output destination interface searched by the above-described processing, whether or not the interface is its own control target interface (step S38). Such a check is performed by checking whether or not the retrieved output destination interface number is its own PPU number and its own managed PFP number. If the output destination interface is not its own control target (step S38: No), the packet addressed to that interface is discarded (step S39). If it is the subject of control (step S38: Yes), the packet is output from the interface (step S40).

  As described above, when receiving a unicast packet transfer, the PPU 130 that outputs a packet outputs a packet from the interface designated in advance by the PPU 130 on the input side and receives the multicast packet transfer. In the case of a failure, a detailed route search including processing associated with link aggregation is performed. By doing so, processing can be efficiently distributed according to the type of packet.

  In the packet input process and output process described above, the destination address and the destination TCP port number are used in the calculation of the hash value. However, the hash value is calculated using other information such as a destination MAC address, a source MAC address, a destination IP address, a source IP address, a destination TCP port number, a source TCP port number, and a label in communication using the MPLS protocol. Information or the like may be used together.

[The invention's effect]
According to the present invention, when a packet is output from a logical port, a hash value is calculated according to the destination address and TCP port number, and a physical port to be actually output is selected. Therefore, packets belonging to the same flow are output from the same physical port, and packet overtaking can be avoided.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to distribute the process of performing a route search to each packet control unit depending on whether the input packet is a unicast packet or a multicast packet.

  Further, according to the present invention, each packet control unit discards a packet addressed to another packet control unit when outputting a multicast packet. Therefore, confusion due to redundant packet output can be avoided.

  From the above, the network relay device of the present invention can efficiently perform network relay, and can increase the processing speed and throughput.

2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network relay device 100. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structure of additional information and a packet. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a route table. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a port table. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a link aggregation table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the basic relay operation | movement at the time of a unicast packet input. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement when link aggregation ID is searched as an output destination interface at the time of a unicast packet input. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the basic relay operation | movement at the time of a multicast packet input. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement when link aggregation ID is searched as an output destination interface at the time of a multicast packet input. It is a flowchart of a packet input process. It is a flowchart of a packet output process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Network relay apparatus 110 ... Control unit 120 ... Crossbar switch 130 ... Packet control part 131 ... CPU
132 ... ROM
133 ... RAM
134 ... Search engine 135 ... Table storage unit 140 ... Network interface unit 141 ... Packet transfer engine 142 ... Physical port

Claims (7)

A network relay device capable of controlling communication by a plurality of physical ports,
A plurality of packet control units for accommodating a predetermined number of lines and controlling input / output of packets to / from each line,
Each packet control unit
A packet type determination unit that determines whether the input packet is a unicast packet or a multicast packet;
A unicast output line selection unit that selects a line to which the unicast packet is to be transferred based on a predetermined setting when the unicast packet is input, and transfers the unicast packet to a packet control unit that accommodates the line; ,
A multicast packet distribution unit that distributes the multicast packet to at least a part of each packet control unit based on a predetermined setting when a multicast packet is input;
A multicast output line selection unit that selects a line that outputs the multicast packet based on a predetermined setting when the multicast packet is distributed;
A network relay device comprising: The network relay device according to claim 1,
The network relay device can be handled as one logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports,
When the selected line is the logical port, the unicast output line selection unit further sets a physical port used for output of the unicast packet among physical ports constituting the logical port to a predetermined setting. Network relay device to select based on. The network relay device according to claim 1,
The network relay device can be handled as one logical port by logically bundling a plurality of physical ports,
When the selected line is the logical port, the multicast output line selection unit further selects a physical port used for output of the multicast packet from physical ports constituting the logical port based on a predetermined setting. Network relay device. The network relay device according to claim 3,
The multicast output line selection unit is a network relay device that discards the distributed multicast packet when the selected physical port is not controlled by the packet control unit. The network relay device according to claim 2,
The unicast output line selection unit obtains a hash value by a predetermined hash function using destination address information included in the unicast packet and identification information for specifying an application using the unicast packet, and the hash A network relay device that selects the physical port associated with the value. The network relay device according to claim 3,
The multicast output line selection unit obtains a hash value by a predetermined hash function using destination address information included in the multicast packet and identification information for specifying an application using the multicast packet, and corresponds to the hash value Network relay device that selects the attached physical port. The network relay device according to claim 3,
Each multicast output line unit to which the multicast packet is distributed selects the physical port based on the same setting.

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