WO2004047384A1 - Processing data packets within a data switch - Google Patents
Processing data packets within a data switch Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2004047384A1 WO2004047384A1 PCT/SG2002/000269 SG0200269W WO2004047384A1 WO 2004047384 A1 WO2004047384 A1 WO 2004047384A1 SG 0200269 W SG0200269 W SG 0200269W WO 2004047384 A1 WO2004047384 A1 WO 2004047384A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- address
- addresses
- data
- switch
- reserved
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L49/00—Packet switching elements
- H04L49/35—Switches specially adapted for specific applications
- H04L49/351—Switches specially adapted for specific applications for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a data switch such as an ethernet switch which switches data packets containing an address.
- a data switch having a plurality of ports for receiving and transmitting data packets.
- Two or more ports of the switch are connected to respective devices (possibly via intermediate devices and/or networks), and these devices each have an address known as a MAC address.
- Each of the data packets includes the MAC address of the device it is intended to go to, and it is the job of the switch to ensure that the packet is transmitted through the port leading to the corresponding device.
- the switch is designed to generate automatically an address table associating MAC addresses with its various ports, so that, when a data packet is received, the data switch can extract the address, and use it and the address table to identify the associated port. The data packet is then transmitted through that port.
- the address table is stored in read/write memory, so that it can be modified as required.
- IEEE standard 802.1 defines certain "reserved" addresses which are not to be used as the MAC addresses of any devices.
- a packet with one of these addresses is not supposed to be transmitted by the switch. Instead, the address determines a function which the switch should perform on the data packet. For example, it may be a data packet containing control signals for modifying the operating parameters of the switch.
- the address tells the switch to transmit the packet through a predefined port (i.e. irrespective of the data stored in the MAC address table for that port).
- the switch receives a data packet it firstly checks whether the address is one of these predefined addresses. If it is, then it is unnecessary to compare the address to the address table. That is, instead of comparing the address in the data packet to the address table, the switch performs the function defined by the address, e.g. to extract any relevant information in the data packet (e.g. the control signals mentioned above) and then discard the data packet.
- the present invention is based on the inventors' realisation that, as the standards governing data switches change over time, the reserved addresses allocation space may also change. For this reason, certain addresses in the reserved list may be used by certain vendors for specific functions. However, if the reserved address list has been hard coded into the switch with a action which is different from the new function of the address, the switch would not be able to transmit such data packets correctly.
- the present invention proposes in general terms that, even for data packets including a destination address which is in the reserved table, the destination address is compared with a read/write table which defines actions associated with addresses. If such a match is found, the switch implements the actions specified by the read/write table, even if the address is in a reserved address list stored inside the switch.
- the invention makes it possible for a data switch to correctly transmit data packets even if they contain addresses which were on the reserved list at the time that the data switch was constructed. Note that this capability is achieved at a cost: unlike the prior art switch described, the data switch of the invention typically has to perform a comparison of the addresses in all received packets with a read/write table. In the case that the list of revised addresses is never changed, then many of these comparisons will be pointless: no match will ever be found between the address table and a address on the reserved list.
- the present invention makes it possible to have two methods for handling packets including the reserved addresses: as a default mode, e.g. to drop the packet, or according to data stored in the address table.
- this modification in the function of the switch can be performed by a modification of the read/write table, e.g. performed by applying external control signals to the switch. Note, however, that the user does not have to take any action in the case that the user decides not to process addresses on the reserved list. If packets do not have an address which appears in the read/write table, they will automatically be dropped.
- the invention makes it possible to change the processing associated with addresses on the reserved list. For example, it is possible to modify the read/write table to specify that a predetermined port is associated with one of the addresses on the reserved list. In this case, instead of discarding a packet having this reserved address (the default mode), the switch will always forward it to the predefined port.
- the read/write table can be programmed with these reserved addresses, and with a set of actions associated with each entry.
- the actions defined in the read/write table supersede the actions defined in the default mode.
- the read/write table is the address table used by the switch to control the switching fabric of the device.
- the switch preferably upon receiving a data packet, the switch performs a lookup in the address table, as well as a comparison of the address with the list of reserved addresses. In the case that a match is found in the address table, then the packet is forwarded based on the actions defined in the address table, irrespective of whether the address is part of the reserved address list.
- the read/write table is a second table, separate from the address table used by the control unit of the switching fabric.
- its destination address may first be compared with the list of reserved addresses. If there is no match, the packet is processed in the usual way based on the address table in the switch. If there is a match, however, the destination address is compared to the second table. If there is a match, the packet is dealt with as defined by the second table. If there is no match, the packet is dealt with according to the reserved address list.
- the second table may, for example, be associated with a monitoring port of the switch.
- the data packet may be transmitted to the monitoring port.
- the data packet is dealt with as specified by the second table. For example, it may be forwarded to a port of the switch defined by the second table. Otherwise, the data packet may be discarded.
- Fig. 1 is a flow diagram of a first method according to the present invention.
- Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a second method according to the invention.
- a method which is an embodiment of the invention includes a step 1 of receiving a data packet.
- the address in the data packet is extracted in step 2.
- the address is compared with an address table stored in read/write memory, and the address is compared with a reserved list stored in write-only memory.
- step 4 it is determined whether step 3 identified a match between the address and the address table. In this case the function defined by the address table is performed (step 5).
- step 6 it is determined whether step 3 identified a match between the address and the reserved list. In this case the function defined by the reserved list is performed (step 7).
- step 8 the address is treated as not recognised.
- the packet is treated as in the prior art systems when a packet with an unrecognised address was received.
- the packet may be broadcast through all ports (or all ports apart from the one through which it was received).
- the method steps of an alternative, and presently less preferred, method according to the invention are shown in Fig. 2.
- the method of Fig. 2 includes a step 11 of receiving a data packet.
- the address in the data packet is extracted in step 12.
- the address is compared with a reserved list stored in write-only memory.
- step 13 no match between the address and the reserved list, the address is compared to an address table (as in prior art methods), and the data packet is transmitted to one of the ports according to data extracted from the address table using the address.
- step 13 if in step 13 a match is found between the address and the reserved list, the data packet is sent to a predefined "monitoring port" of the switch. There the address is compared with a second read/write table in step 14.
- step 15 If is determined in step 14 that there is a match between the address and the second table, a function is performed which is defined by the second read/write table and associated with that address (step 15).
- the second read/write table may specify that data packets carrying that address are forwarded to a respective other one of the ports.
- the first of the two embodiments is preferred since it means that a second read/write memory is not required. Furthermore, the time taken by data packets to pass through the switch is typically lower for the first embodiment than the second.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Small-Scale Networks (AREA)
- Data Exchanges In Wide-Area Networks (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/SG2002/000269 WO2004047384A1 (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2002-11-15 | Processing data packets within a data switch |
AU2002368361A AU2002368361A1 (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2002-11-15 | Processing data packets within a data switch |
DE10297815T DE10297815B4 (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2002-11-15 | Processing of data packets within a data switch |
TW092129805A TWI241806B (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2003-10-27 | Processing data packets within a data switch |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/SG2002/000269 WO2004047384A1 (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2002-11-15 | Processing data packets within a data switch |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2004047384A1 true WO2004047384A1 (en) | 2004-06-03 |
Family
ID=32322727
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/SG2002/000269 WO2004047384A1 (en) | 2002-11-15 | 2002-11-15 | Processing data packets within a data switch |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU2002368361A1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE10297815B4 (en) |
TW (1) | TWI241806B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2004047384A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8285907B2 (en) | 2004-12-10 | 2012-10-09 | Intel Corporation | Packet processing in switched fabric networks |
EP2632087A1 (en) * | 2012-02-21 | 2013-08-28 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
CN104144130A (en) * | 2013-05-10 | 2014-11-12 | 中国电信股份有限公司 | Virtual machine system interconnection method and system and access switch |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6252880B1 (en) * | 1997-11-10 | 2001-06-26 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | Apparatus and method for selectively supplying a data packet to a selected network node in a buffered distributor |
-
2002
- 2002-11-15 WO PCT/SG2002/000269 patent/WO2004047384A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2002-11-15 AU AU2002368361A patent/AU2002368361A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2002-11-15 DE DE10297815T patent/DE10297815B4/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-10-27 TW TW092129805A patent/TWI241806B/en active
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
"MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL (MAC) BRIDGES", ANSI/IEEE STD 802.1D, 1998 EDITION, December 1998 (1998-12-01), pages 29 - 58, XP002248400, Retrieved from the Internet <URL:http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isNumber=16175> [retrieved on 20030721] * |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8285907B2 (en) | 2004-12-10 | 2012-10-09 | Intel Corporation | Packet processing in switched fabric networks |
EP2632087A1 (en) * | 2012-02-21 | 2013-08-28 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
EP2827542A1 (en) * | 2012-02-21 | 2015-01-21 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
US9325616B2 (en) | 2012-02-21 | 2016-04-26 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
US10044615B2 (en) | 2012-02-21 | 2018-08-07 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
US10608935B2 (en) | 2012-02-21 | 2020-03-31 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Packet sending method and network device |
CN104144130A (en) * | 2013-05-10 | 2014-11-12 | 中国电信股份有限公司 | Virtual machine system interconnection method and system and access switch |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE10297815T5 (en) | 2005-11-03 |
TWI241806B (en) | 2005-10-11 |
DE10297815B4 (en) | 2010-05-12 |
AU2002368361A1 (en) | 2004-06-15 |
TW200423636A (en) | 2004-11-01 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP1244254B1 (en) | Classification and tagging rules for switching nodes | |
EP1523138B1 (en) | Access control mechanism for routers | |
EP1130855B1 (en) | Selectable prioritization for data communication switch | |
US7308612B1 (en) | Fast port failover in a network switch | |
US7133400B1 (en) | System and method for filtering data | |
US8654772B2 (en) | Programmable packet switching device | |
US8457007B2 (en) | Global switch resource manager | |
US7802094B2 (en) | Reduction of false positive detection of signature matches in intrusion detection systems | |
CA2559251A1 (en) | Hardware filtering support for denial-of-service attacks | |
US20180103060A1 (en) | Methods and apparatus for detecting and/or dealing with denial of service attacks | |
US7586849B2 (en) | Dedicated bandwidth data communication switch backplane | |
US7616662B2 (en) | Parser for parsing data packets | |
WO2004047384A1 (en) | Processing data packets within a data switch | |
US20050002332A1 (en) | Method, apparatus and computer program for performing a frame flow control, and method, apparatus and computer program for transmitting a frame | |
US20080002685A1 (en) | Packet switch equipment and bandwidth control method using the same | |
KR100937283B1 (en) | Processor with reduced memory requirements for high-speed routing and switching of packets | |
KR20060009867A (en) | Method for the priority classification of frames | |
CN101115065B (en) | Method and arrangement for processing management and control messages | |
US11658911B2 (en) | System and method for low latency network switching | |
EP1351110B1 (en) | Fast flexible range checking | |
KR102288315B1 (en) | Method of flow ID allocation in distributed packet switches | |
WO2006085374A1 (en) | Communication device | |
JP2008085886A (en) | Packet processing apparatus, packet processing method, and packet processing program | |
US7590056B2 (en) | Processor configured for efficient processing of single-cell protocol data units | |
US7724667B2 (en) | Ethernet line card and method of providing various services using the same |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY BZ CA CH CN CO CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EC EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX MZ NO NZ OM PH PL PT RO RU SC SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TN TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VC VN YU ZA ZM ZW |
|
AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW MZ SD SL SZ TZ UG ZM ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE SK TR BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GQ GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
RET | De translation (de og part 6b) |
Ref document number: 10297815 Country of ref document: DE Date of ref document: 20051103 Kind code of ref document: P |
|
WWE | Wipo information: entry into national phase |
Ref document number: 10297815 Country of ref document: DE |
|
122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase | ||
NENP | Non-entry into the national phase |
Ref country code: JP |
|
WWW | Wipo information: withdrawn in national office |
Ref document number: JP |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8607 |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8607 |
|
REG | Reference to national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: 8607 |