Patent ID: 6560233
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A network relaying apparatus connected to a plurality of networks to relay a packet received from one network to another network, comprising:a plurality of network controllers each connected to one of the plurality of the networks; a plurality of data processing units; and connecting means for connecting the plurality of the data processing units; wherein each of the plurality of the data processing units is connected to one of the plurality of the networks through one of the plurality of the network controllers, and has a first memory for storing a first packet received from the network through the network controller and a second memory for storing a header portion of the first packet, the second memory being accessible independently of the first memory; each of the plurality of the data processing units further comprises a processor, a memory controller and a transfer unit, the processor controls operations of the network controller, the memory controller and the transfer unit, and the memory controller stores the first packet received through the network controller into the first memory, detects a position of the header in the first packet, and stores the header of the first packet into the second memory; the memory controller includes memory means for storing header information depending on a network type connected to the data processing unit, and the memory controller detects the position of the header of the first packet based on the header information; the processor references the second memory to analyze the header of the stored first packet and determine a transfer destination of the stored first packet; the transfer unit transfers a second packet stored in the first memory, said second packet having a transfer destination determined to be another network connected with another one of the data processing units, to said another one of the data processing units via the connecting means; and wherein the determination of the transfer destination of the stored first packet by the processor and the transfer of the second packet by the transfer unit are performed in parallel.