Patent ID: 6697872
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method for processing packets comprising:Building a primary chain of function elements on a primary processor, each element being operable to perform an operation on a packet and independent from the other elements of the chain; Sending a description of the primary chain function elements from the primary processor to a secondary processor; Building a secondary chain of function elements on the secondary processor based on the description of the primary chain of function elements, each of the function elements of the secondary chain corresponding to at least one of the function elements of the primary chain to form a function element pair; Selecting one of the primary processor, secondary processor, and combination of the primary and secondary processors to perform a packet-processing function of each of the elements, wherein the selection is based on an identifier associated with each of the function elements; and Processing the packet by walking through the elements on at least one of the primary and secondary chains.