Patent ID: 6401171
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
In a data transmission network having a plurality of nodes wherein messages including a header and data are routed from node to node along a transmission route and wherein each node includes processing means for computing a routing algorithm by using the header of a message received by said node and routing said message to another node by using the resulting information, a main memory for storing said message and a cache memory (10); a method of utilizing the cache memory comprising the steps of:(a) reading the location in a cache tag ram (12) indexed by a portion of the address of said main memory address at which the message is to be stored so as to determine whether a location in said cache memory corresponding to said portion of said address is free in order to store the header of said message in the cache cell of said cache memory at the location corresponding to said portion of said address when said location is free and storing said header in said cache memory while said header is being stored in said main memory, (b) reading said header from said cache memory in order to compute said routing algorithm, (c) writing a new header resulting from said routing algorithm into said cache memory, and (d) reading said new header from said cache memory and the message data stored in said main memory to enable the routing of a message including said header and said message data over the network.