Patent ID: 7961731
Filing Date: 2011-06-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for measuring flow at a node, the method comprising: receiving an IP packet at the node; determining if another IP packet is stored in a register of the node; if another IP packet is stored in the register, comparing a plurality of fields of the stored IP packet with a corresponding plurality of fields of the received IP packet; and determining a longest match between the stored IP packet and the received IP packet, wherein the longest match comprises a set of values for which a maximum number of the compared fields of the stored and received IP packets have matching values, wherein the set of values of the longest match has associated therewith a set of fields of the longest match, wherein the set of fields of the longest match includes each of the compared fields of the stored and received IP packets associated with the set of values of the longest match, wherein the set of fields of the longest match is not known a priori; and updating a table stored on the node using the determined longest match.