Abstract:
A method of categorizing a data packet or frame, such as an Ethernet packet or a Sonet frame, where one or more features of the packet or frame are identified and a corresponding priority assigned. At least two priorities, a higher and a lower priority, are used. If none of the sought after features are identified, such as if the packet or frame is of an unknown type, the packet or frame is assigned the higher priority.
Abstract:
A method of categorizing a data packet or frame, such as an Ethernet packet or a Sonet frame, where one or more features of the packet or frame are identified and a corresponding priority assigned. At least two priorities, a higher and a lower priority, are used. If none of the sought after features are identified, such as if the packet or frame is of an unknown type, the packet or frame is assigned the higher priority.
Abstract:
Preambles of data packets, frames, or cells, such as Ethernet packets, are used to transport information. This information is received, normally as part of a data packet, by a networking element and output there from, normally also as part of a data packet, in order for this informatin to not only be transferred between two neighbouring networking elements. The preamble information may be altered prior to outputtig and may be "piggy backing" on different data packets before and after a networking element. The preamble information may be used as e.g. a separate communication channel, for network management or as a means of increasing the bandwidth of the network.
Abstract:
Information is transformed between two link partners (10,20) as Sequence Ordered Sets or Signal Ordered Sets in XGMII or Fibre Channel (18). Such sets are defined to not be amended by intervening PHY's and may be transmitted even when there is no other traffic between the link partners. The information transmitted may be congestion information in a situation where there is heavy traffic in one direction between the link partners (10,20) and little or no traffic in the other direction.
Abstract:
A pipelined packet processor comprises an initialising unit (14), an OSI Layer 2 processing unit (16), an OSI Layer 3 processing unit (18), an OSI Layer 4 processing unit (20), and a director unit (22). It is advantageous to perform lower layer analysis before higher layer analysis. In this situation, a piece of information proposed by both a lower layer analysis and a higher layer analysis may be finally selected as the higher layer analysis result as the higher layer analysis would normally provide the best proposal for the information. Also, lower level analysis may determine whether and which higher analysis should be performed.