KR100701156B1 - Ethernet line card and Method for providing various services therein - Google Patents

Abstract

An Ethernet line card and a method for receiving various services in the card are provided to satisfy requirements of an Ethernet market which is quickly changing, as solving weak points of an existing Ethernet line card, and to receive various services even without changing hardware, then to ensure performance of the line card at line speed. A priority allocating unit(120) sets priority of Ethernet packets according to preset control regulations based on header information of the packets. A QoS(Quality of Service) ensuring unit(130) defines capacities for each class based on preset QoS ensuring regulations to input the packets to each class, and drops/manages packets based on the priority when the packets exceeding the capacities of each class are inputted. A signal processor(150) manages/updates the preset control regulations and the preset QoS ensuring regulations, and receives processed results of the packets to individually store the received results.

Description

Ethernet line card and method for providing various services therein}

1 is a block diagram of an Ethernet line card for accommodating various services as a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 illustrates a signal flow for providing a service according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 shows one embodiment of a system employing the Ethernet line card of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

110: physical layer interface unit

120: priority assignment unit

130: quality assurance department

140: switch interface unit

150: signal processing unit

The present invention relates to an Ethernet line card and various service accommodation methods therein, and more particularly, to provide a gigabit Ethernet line card having flexibility of Ethernet packet processing in a switch and router system using Gigabit Ethernet as a physical medium.

Conventional Gigabit Ethernet line cards use commercially available network processors to process Ethernet packets or proprietary ASICs for Ethernet packet processing.

Such conventional Gigabit Ethernet line cards can flexibly reflect the requirements of Gigabit Ethernet line cards that are changed or added according to market requirements when using commercially available network processors to process Ethernet packets. Has the advantage that

However, in this case, if the capacity of the Gigabit Ethernet line card increases, line-rate packet processing performance cannot be guaranteed. As the line card's capacity is limited, the cost per gigabit Ethernet port increases. In addition, as the required type of service increases, that is, as the complexity for processing a packet increases, packet processing takes a lot of time, and thus, Ethernet packet processing performance is deteriorated.

In addition, when the dedicated ASIC for Ethernet packet processing is used, it is possible to guarantee the line rate packet processing capability and the capacity of the line card. There is a problem in that new hardware has to be manufactured when the details are changed or new services are required.

Accordingly, in order to accommodate new requirements and services, new hardware must be manufactured to accommodate them. Therefore, the development period of the line card is long and cannot be accommodated within a reasonable time, and additional costs are generated to increase the price of the entire system. Has

In order to solve the above problems, it solves the shortcomings of the existing Ethernet line card and satisfies the requirements of the rapidly changing Ethernet market, and can accommodate various services without changing the hardware, and improve the performance of the line card. We want to provide an Ethernet line card that guarantees line speed.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an Ethernet line card comprises: a priority allocator configured to set a priority of the packet according to a predetermined control rule based on header information of the Ethernet packet; Each packet is determined by classifying capacity based on a predetermined quality of service policy. A quality of service guaranteeing unit for dropping and managing the packet based on the priority when a packet is inputted into a class and a packet exceeding a capacity for each class; And a signal processor configured to manage and update the preset control rule and the preset service quality guarantee rule, and receive and store processing results of the packets from the priority allocator and the service quality guarantee unit, respectively.

The priority allocator may further include a statistical processor configured to calculate statistics of a packet transmission amount for each port based on the received header information of the Ethernet packet.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for accommodating various services in an Ethernet line card includes: (a) setting a priority of the packet according to a predetermined control rule based on header information of the Ethernet packet; (b) The capacity of each packet is determined by classifying the packet based on a predetermined quality of service guarantee rule. Dropping and managing the packet based on the priority when a packet is inputted into a class and exceeds a capacity of each class; And (c) managing and updating the predetermined control rule and the predetermined service quality guarantee rule, and receiving and storing the processing result of the packet from the steps (a) and (b), respectively. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same elements among the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings.

In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in order to be more faithful to the present invention, it is noted that changes or modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of an Ethernet line card for accommodating various services as a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The Ethernet line card according to the present invention includes a physical layer interface unit 110, priority assigning unit 120, service quality guarantee unit 130, switch interface unit 140 and signal processing unit 150.

The physical layer interface unit 110 receives an Ethernet signal from an external network through a plurality of Ethernet ports connected to an optical fiber, and processes MAC header information of the received Ethernet signal. In addition, the physical layer interface unit 110 provides a Gigabit Ethernet MAC interface to a plurality of Gigabit Ethernet ports connected to the optical fiber and transmits the Gigabit Ethernet signal to the external network through the Gigabit Ethernet MAC interface.

The priority assignment unit 120 performs header processing and label assignment of packets to accommodate various services. In more detail, the priority allocator 120 sets the priority of the packet according to a predetermined control rule based on the header information of the Ethernet packet. The Ethernet packet inputted from the physical layer interface unit 110 is classified by service or destination according to various requirements of the user, assigns priority, and controls the Ethernet packet input according to a predetermined rule.

In addition, the priority allocating unit 120 includes a statistical processing unit (not shown) that calculates statistics of the packet transmission amount for each port based on the Internet protocol address of the received Ethernet packet. The statistical processor calculates a packet transmission amount for each port, source, and destination based on the layer 2 address.

The service quality guarantee unit 130 performs functions related to service quality guarantee, such as class assignment, scheduling, and traffic management. Each packet is determined by classifying capacity based on a predetermined quality of service policy. The packet is dropped and managed based on the priority when a packet is inputted into a class and a packet exceeding a capacity of each class is input. In addition, it performs a function of processing a packet based on IP address and header information related to layer 3 when necessary.

The switch interface unit 140 transmits a packet processed by the service quality guarantee unit 130 and transmits a packet input from another line card in the system to the service quality guarantee unit 130.

The signal processor 150 manages and updates the preset control rule of the priority assigner 120 and the preset service quality guarantee rule of the service quality guarantee unit 130, and the priority assigner 120 and the service quality guarantee unit. The processing result of the packet is received from the 130 and stored, respectively.

In addition, the signal processor 150 collects port state information from the physical layer interface unit 110 and provides a control signal to the physical layer interface unit 110 to process the Ethernet header information. In addition, the priority allocation unit 120 and the service quality guarantee unit 130 collects and manages the results and provides capacity for each class. In addition, the signal processor 150 outputs signal processing means for storing and managing fault information generated by the switch interface unit 140 and the stored result to the upper main processor board (not shown) and from the upper main processor board. Receive various control signals.

A method for guaranteeing packet processing performance at a line rate according to the present invention and providing various services without changing hardware is described in more detail as follows. FIG. 2 is a signal flow diagram for providing a service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The packet flow for providing a L2 Layer 2 Virtual Private Network (VPN) service in a gigabit Ethernet line card is shown at an input terminal (Ingress). The flow to Egress and the flow from output to input are as follows.

First, a packet flow for providing an L2 VPN (Layer 2 Virtual Private Network) service based on the flow from the input to the output is as follows.

The physical layer interface unit 210 includes a packet transceiver unit 211 and a MAC header processor 212.

When a gigabit Ethernet packet having a VLAN ID (VID) is input to the Ethernet line card input terminal (Ingress), the packet transceiver 211 transmits the input gigabit Ethernet packet to the MAC header processor 212 after photoelectric conversion.

The MAC header processing unit 212 has an interface with N packet transceivers 211 (S250), and restores a clock from the Ethernet packet input from the packet transceiver 211 and converts the data in parallel and in parallel to a 125 Mbps 10-bit symbol. After the stream is created, auto-negotiation is performed and converted back to 8-bit data.

The MAC header processing unit 212 provides N gigabit Ethernet interface functions and processes MAC header information such as a pause frame. It also outputs port-specific status information such as LOS (Loss of Signal) and TX failure to the signal processor.

The priority assigning unit 220 processes the layer 2 related label of the Ethernet packet input from the physical layer interface unit 210, and separates the packet by service or destination based on an internet protocol or VLAN ID, and then a signal processing unit (shown in FIG. (Priority Label) indicating the priority in accordance with the provisions entered from the (Non)) and outputs to the service quality guarantee unit 230 (S251).

In addition, as mentioned above, the priority allocation unit 220 performs a filtering function and a statistical function for each port according to the rules defined in the signal processing unit for the Ethernet packet.

The quality of service guaranteeing unit 230 inserts an inner label indicating the switching port to be output to the input packet, and then determines the output order of the packet according to the priority label inserted by the priority allocating unit 220 and schedules the function. It performs (S252).

The quality of service guarantee unit 230 generates a class according to the rules defined by the signal processor, allocates an Ethernet packet to a class corresponding to each floor, and inputs the packet based on the priority when a packet exceeding the capacity of each class is input. Drop and manage it.

The switch interface unit 240 outputs the packet to the corresponding switch port according to the internal label inserted by the service quality guarantee unit 230 (S253). Ethernet packets output from each Ethernet line card enter the corresponding Gigabit Ethernet line card through the switch fabric.

Next, a packet flow for providing an L2 VPN (Layer 2 Virtual Private Network) service from an output to an input is as follows.

The switch interface unit 241, at the output stage (Egress), the Ethernet packet inputted to the switch interface unit 241 through the switch fabric card (S254) has an internal label for determining the output port, the quality of service guarantee unit 231 (S255).

The quality of service guarantee unit 231 removes the internal label from the packet input from the switch interface unit 241, sets the capacity for each class according to the provision provided by the signal processing unit, and inputs the packet to each class. At this time, if a packet exceeding the capacity for each class is input, the packet is dropped by priority (S256).

The priority allocator 221 inserts and converts the layer 2 related label with respect to the Ethernet packet input from the quality of service guarantee unit 231 and performs a fragmentation function. In addition, after performing the MAC processing function and the ARP function if necessary outputs to the physical layer interface unit 213 (S257).

The physical layer interface unit 213 performs a gigabit Ethernet MAC matching function, and performs a function of outputting the gigabit Ethernet packet inputted from the MAC header processing unit to the outside through the optical fiber after converting the optical fiber (S258).

The signal processor (not shown) receives regulations and control signals used for each Gigabit Ethernet line card through an interface with an upper main processor board (not shown), and outputs the result processed by each line card to the upper main processor board. .

3 shows one embodiment of a system employing the Ethernet line card of the present invention.

The Ethernet packet received by the physical layer interface 310 is separated by the priority allocator 320 for each service or destination, and then the switch fabric board 360 through the service quality guarantee unit 330 and the switch interface unit 340. Is entered.

The switch fabric board 360 is controlled by the main processor 370 and provides a switching function between the N gigabit Ethernet line cards. The main processor 370 is located outside the Gigabit Ethernet line card to control each Gigabit Ethernet line card. In this way, N-gigabit Ethernet line cards can simultaneously manage the capacity of packets having the same destination among the Ethernet packets classified by destination or service, thereby effectively managing the bandwidth of the entire system.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system.

Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, which are also implemented in the form of carrier waves (for example, transmission over the Internet). It also includes. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The best embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specification above. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are used only for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the meaning or claims.

Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from this. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

The Ethernet line card of the present invention can meet the requirements of the rapidly changing Ethernet market without any additional hardware change.

In the present invention, it is possible to accommodate a variety of services without changing the hardware to meet the rapidly changing market requirements in a timely manner, and the performance of the line speed by separating the time-consuming label processing and statistical processing from the traffic management means This has a guaranteed effect.

In addition, the present invention can increase the number of ports per gigabit Ethernet line card while ensuring the performance of the line rate, resulting in a lower cost per port.

Claims (10)

A priority allocator configured to set a priority of the packet according to a control rule preset based on header information of the Ethernet packet; Each packet is determined by classifying capacity based on a predetermined quality of service policy. A quality of service guaranteeing unit for dropping and managing the packet based on the priority when a packet is inputted into a class and a packet exceeding a capacity for each class; And And a signal processor for managing and updating the predetermined control rule and the predetermined service quality guarantee rule, and receiving and storing the processing result of the packet from the priority assigning unit and the service quality guaranteeing unit, respectively. Ethernet line card. The method of claim 1, And a physical layer interface unit configured to transmit and receive an Ethernet signal through at least one Ethernet port and extract and process Ethernet header information from the Ethernet signal. The method of claim 1, And a switch interface unit for transmitting the packet processed by the service quality guarantee unit and receiving a packet transmitted from the outside to the service quality guarantee unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority assignment unit And inserting a layer 2 label when performing a service required for the Ethernet packet. The method of claim 4, wherein the priority assignment unit And a statistics processor configured to calculate statistics of a packet transmission amount for each port based on the header information of the received Ethernet packet or the layer 2 label. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit Storing and managing state information of the Ethernet port to which the Ethernet signal is input based on the Ethernet header information, and transmitting the processing result of the packet received from the priority assigning unit and the service quality guaranteeing unit to a main processor. Featuring an Ethernet line card. (a) setting priorities of the packets according to predetermined control rules based on header information of the Ethernet packets; (b) The capacity of each packet is determined by classifying the packet based on a predetermined quality of service guarantee rule. Dropping and managing the packet based on the priority when a packet is inputted into a class and exceeds a capacity of each class; And (c) managing and updating the predetermined control rule and the predetermined service quality guarantee rule, and receiving and storing the processing result of the packet from the steps (a) and (b), respectively. A variety of service accommodating methods on characterized Ethernet line cards. The method of claim 7, wherein Transmitting and receiving an Ethernet signal through at least one Ethernet port, and extracting and processing the header information of the layer 2 from the Ethernet signal; Ethernet line card characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 8, wherein step (a) And calculating statistics of a packet transmission amount for each port based on the header information of the received Ethernet packet or the layer 2 header information. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (c) Storing and managing status information of the Ethernet port to which the Ethernet signal is input based on the Ethernet header information, and transmitting a processing result of the packet received from the priority assigning unit and the quality of service guarantee unit to a main processor; A variety of service accommodating methods on characterized Ethernet line cards.

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