Patent ID: 7539195
Filing Date: 2009-05-26
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for multi-protocol packet transfer over a communication network comprising: receiving at an ingress port, a first packet of information transferred over the communication network from a source using a first layered transmission protocol, the information segmented into a data portion and an ingress header portion in accordance with the first layered transmission protocol; resolving each layer associated with the first layered transmission protocol to obtain an identity of the first layered transmission protocol; fetching a set of parsing instructions from a first instruction memory beginning at a location indicated by the identity of the first layered transmission protocol; executing the set of parsing instructions to extract segments of a search key from the information; building a search key by assembling the search key segments and applying the search key to a content-addressable-memory to obtain a classification of the information into a plurality of flows; enforcing a policing function on each of the plurality of flows based upon pre-defined policing criteria associated with said each of said plurality of flows; based upon the classification, fetching a set of editing instructions from a second instruction memory; applying the editing instructions to the information to generate an intermediate egress header portion; manipulating the intermediate egress header portion in response to the policing function enforced on the flow associated with the information to build the egress header portion compliant with a second layered transmission protocol; assembling a second packet of information from the data portion and the egress header portion; and transmitting the second packet of information towards a destination through an egress port of a switch fabric using the second layered transmission protocol.