Patent ID: 9203743
Filing Date: 2015-12-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A packet forwarding system, comprising: a policy memory that stores a policy that prescribes processing contents and a matching key that identifies a packet to apply the processing contents to; a policy management unit that refers to a policy in connection with the packet received to determine the processing contents and an ad-hoc matching key that identifies the packet to apply the processing contents to; an aggregation tree of a depth corresponding to a length of information which is to become the matching key; a plurality of nodes branched from a root of the aggregation tree and levels of the nodes representing values of the matching key and mask lengths, respectively; a processing rule or the policy being registrable in each of the individual nodes; a processing rule aggregation unit that registers the policy in the node of the aggregation tree corresponding to the matching key of the policy, the processing rule aggregation unit tracing the aggregation tree down from the root thereof based on the ad-hoc matching key determined by the policy management unit to search for and find a node beyond which there is no policy registered along a depth of the tree downwards; the processing rule aggregation unit forming the processing rule including the node of the aggregation tree thus found as the matching key, the processing rule aggregation unit registering the processing rule in the node of the aggregation tree thus found; a processing rule memory that stores the processing rule formed by the processing rule aggregation unit; and a packet processor that executes registration of the processing rule in the processing rule memory subject to registration of the processing rule by the processing rule aggregation unit in the aggregation tree; the packet processor executing packet processing by having reference to the processing rule stored in the processing rule memory.