Patent ID: 8472341
Filing Date: 2013-06-25
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of steering Internet Protocol (IP) packet fragments, wherein the IP packet fragments are components of a series of IP packet fragments, and wherein the series of IP packet fragments collectively make up a single original IP packet, the method comprising: a switch receiving a first IP packet fragment, wherein the first IP packet fragment contains an IP 3-tuple in a header of the first IP packet fragment, and wherein the IP 3-tuple contains a source IP address of the first IP packet fragment, a destination IP address of the first IP packet fragment, and a protocol used by the first IP packet fragment; in response to determining that a lead IP packet fragment from the series of IP packet fragments has not been received by the switch, pushing the first IP packet fragment onto a data stack; the switch receiving a second IP packet fragment, wherein the second IP packet fragment is received subsequent to the first IP packet fragment, and wherein the second IP packet fragment is the lead IP packet fragment from the series of IP packet fragments, wherein the second IP packet fragment contains an IP 5-tuple that includes the source IP address of the first IP packet fragment, the destination IP address of the first IP packet fragment, the protocol used by the first IP packet fragment, a source port used by the second IP packet fragment, and a destination port to which the second IP packet fragment is being sent; mapping the IP 3-tuple to the IP 5-tuple in a fragmentation table, wherein the fragmentation table indexes IP 3-tuples from subsequent IP packet fragments in the series of IP packet fragments to the IP 5-tuple from the second IP packet fragment; popping the first IP packet fragment off the data stack; and steering the first IP packet fragment and the second IP packet fragment to the destination port to which the second IP packet fragment is being sent.