摘要:
A high speed link between chips and comprising a multiplicity of synchronous serial data channels includes an onboard detector for detecting an error rate for each channel. The transmitter and the receiver chips are configured in response to the detector to select the channel having the lowest error rate as the control channel and optionally to render at least the channel with the highest error rate inactive.
摘要:
A plurality of serial data streams are transmitted on a corresponding plurality of lines at a common frequency in equal groups of symbols. A framing signal composed of groups of symbols corresponding in number to groups of data symbols is transmitted on an additional control line. Each group of symbols in the framing signal includes a majority of symbols capable of representing a first plurality of code words and a second plurality, substantially less than the first plurality, of valid code words, and a minority of symbols which constitute parity check symbols. Each of the valid code words consists of a first sub-group of similar symbols and a second plurality of similar symbols. For some of the valid code words the symbols in the first sub-group are similar to the symbols in the second sub-group. For other valid code words the symbols in the first sub-group are different from the symbols in the second sub-group. The valid code words correspond to groups which represent (a) start of a data packet or block; (b) data/(c) a gap between groups of data; and (d) an idle state. The sequence of groups in the framing signal is monitored by means of a state machine.
摘要:
A network switch includes a look-up engine for obtaining associated data in response to a header portion of a packet and an interlinked network processor such as a RISC for performing a processing function on the header portion or the associated data. Both look-up engine and the network processor may modify a destination port bitmask. The network processor may implement additional packet header processing required for replication or server load balancing.
摘要:
A network switch includes a look-up engine for obtaining associated data in response to a header portion of a packet and an interlinked network processor such as a RISC for performing a processing function on the header portion or the associated data. Both look-up engine and the network processor may modify a destination port bitmask. The network processor may implement additional packet header processing required for replication or server load balancing.
摘要:
A network switch includes a look-up engine for obtaining associated data in response to a header portion of a packet and an interlinked network processor such as a RISC for performing a processing function on the header portion or the associated data. Both look-up engine and the network processor may modify a destination port bitmask. The network processor may implement additional packet header processing required for replication or server load balancing.
摘要:
A method of operating a network device in a communication system for the transmission of data packets which include network addresses identifying sources and destinations of data, the network device being capable of both bridging and routing decisions and including a forwarding database by means of which a packet including network address data can be forwarded to at least one port and thereby to at least one network path identified by a network address, and packets can be forwarded to at least one port in response to a media access control address. The method comprises establishing a data table which contains entries comprising a network address of an end station to which a packet is destined, a respective media access control address and an identification of at least one port to which the packet will be directed within the device. The table is accessed in response to network addresses and media access control addresses, whereby the same table can be used for both routing and bridging decisions.
摘要:
A network switch comprises a first device which includes a store for data packets, a second device which includes a plurality of ports from which the packets may be transmitted, a plurality of temporary stores each associated with one of the ports, a data bus connecting the first device to the second device, a unit for maintaining a count of units of storage space in respect of each of the ports, a unit for incrementing the respective count on transmission of data from one of the stores, and a unit for decrementing the count in response to dispatch of data from the temporary store in the first device to the second device.
摘要:
In one embodiment, a method is described for detecting an operational failure between the network unit and an adjacent network unit in the stack; controlling the switching engine to redirect packets which would otherwise be sent from a particular port to the adjacent network unit to be forwarded from another port to be sent to a different network unit in the stack; and entering the switching engine into a bypass mode in response to control data indicating an operational failure between at least two other network units in the stack to cause packets to be forwarded without being re-directed by the switching engine.
摘要:
A multi-port network unit for use in a cascade system of network units sends from a cascade port a packet including a special header having a source port ID, a destination port ID and a ‘destination port known’ field. The port IDs identify both a unit and a port within a unit. A routing database is set up, optionally by a discovery protocol, in terms of ports and either destination units (within the cascade) or source units (within the cascade). The database includes a mesh table, indicating from which cascade port a packet with a known destination port ID should be forwarded, without needing a fresh look-up. The database also includes a multicast exclusion table which allows ingress of packets with source unit IDs matched to an ingress port. The scheme allows a general mesh type of cascade while dynamically preventing closed loops.
摘要:
Cascade control logic for use in a switch or other network unit that can be used in a cascaded stack can maintain normally a point-to-point half-duplex connection for control data with each of the next preceding and next succeeding units in the cascade. Each cascade logic device is organised so that for one direction, conveniently called the up direction, a device is a master and in the other direction the device is a slave in respect of the control path. A control device will generate master control frames in the up direction and deliver slave control frames in the down direction. The control device is organised so that in the absence of reception of valid control frames on a control link control data which would otherwise be sent out on that link is looped back within the control device. In this manner the control device can maintain under normal circumstances two virtual control channels which can ‘self-heal’ notwithstanding the failure or powering-down of a unit in the cascade.Status information represented by the control frames can be used to control a switching engine to provide self healing of the data path in the cascade.