Abstract: A method for tracking a transmission status of one or more data elements to one or more devices. In one example, the method includes providing a list including one or more devices and one or more data elements; processing the list to determine a data element of the one or more data elements to transmit to a device of one of the one or more devices; and upon successfully transmitting the data element to the device, adjusting the list so that the list indicates that the device has received the transmitted data element. In this manner, the status of whether a particular data element has been sent to a particular device can be easily derived from the list.

Abstract: A method for routing and switching data packets from one or more incoming links to one or more outgoing links of a router. The method comprises receiving a data packet from the incoming link, assigning at least one outgoing link to the data packet based on the destination address of the data packet, and after the assigning operation, storing the data packet in a switching memory based on the assigned outgoing link. The data packet extracted from the switching memory, and transmitted along the assigned outgoing link. The router may include a network processing unit having one or more systolic array pipelines for performing the assigning operation.

Abstract: A method and system for providing enhanced services for a network. The enhanced services use information about the network which is available to a subnet of communicating processors (such as a set of routers), collectively executing a common distributed technique for disseminating that network information. The router subnet collects network topology information and provides a service using that network topology information, responsive to requests from non-routers coupled to the network (such as a set of host processors). The router subnet also collects information advertised by hosts coupled to the network, and disseminates that host information to substantially all routers, using the common distributed technique for disseminating network topology information.

Abstract: A processor for use in a router, the processor having a systolic array pipeline for processing data packets to determine to which output port of the router the data packet should be routed. In one embodiment, the systolic array pipeline includes a plurality of programmable functional units and register files arranged sequentially as stages, for processing packet contexts (which contain the packet's destination address) to perform operations, under programmatic control, to determine the destination port of the router for the packet. A single stage of the systolic array may contain a register file and one or more functional units such as adders, shifters, logical units, etc., for performing, in one example, very long instruction word (vliw) operations. The processor may also include a forwarding table memory, on-chip, for storing routing information, and a cross bar selectively connecting the stages of the systolic array with the forwarding table memory.

Abstract: A method and system for providing enhanced services for a network. The enhanced services use information about the network which is available to a subnet of communicating processors (such as a set of routers), collectively executing a common distributed technique for disseminating that network information. The router subnet collects network topology information and provides a service using that network topology information, responsive to requests from non-routers coupled to the network (such as a set of host processors). The router subnet also collects information advertised by hosts coupled to the network, and disseminates that host information to substantially all routers, using the common distributed technique for disseminating network topology information.

Abstract: A method and system for providing enhanced services for a network. The enhanced services use information about the network which is available to a subnet of communicating processors (such as a set of routers), collectively executing a common distributed technique for disseminating that network information. The router subnet collects network topology information and provides a service using that network topology information, responsive to requests from non-routers coupled to the network (such as a set of host processors). The router subnet also collects information advertised by hosts coupled to the network, and disseminates that host information to substantially all routers, using the common distributed technique for disseminating network topology information.

Abstract: A method and system for providing enhanced services for a network. The enhanced services use information about the network which is available to a subnet of communicating processors (such as a set of routers), collectively executing a common distributed technique for disseminating that network information. The router subnet collects network topology information and provides a service using that network topology information, responsive to requests from non-routers coupled to the network (such as a set of host processors). The router subnet also collects information advertised by hosts coupled to the network, and disseminates that host information to substantially all routers, using the common distributed technique for disseminating network topology information.

Abstract: A system and protocol are provided for routing data packets from a host on a LAN through a virtual address belonging to a group of routers. The host is configured to point to the virtual address so that the packets it sends out of its LAN are always directed to a virtual router which may be any one of the group of routers. An active router in the group of routers emulates the virtual router. A standby router, also from the group of routers, backs up the active router so that if the active router becomes inoperative, the standby router automatically begins emulating the virtual router. The host router does not know which router from the group is actually handling the data packets it sends. If the standby router becomes inoperative or takes over for the active router, other routers in the group hold an election to determine which of them should take over for the standby router.