Abstract: A line card for a data packet router interfaces to a high-speed standard data link, and has a first portion interfacing to the router and having a plurality of slower ports, and a second portion having a framer compatible with and coupled to the data link. The framer is coupled through an ingress and an egress data path between the framer and the slower ports, each with separate ingress buffers and egress buffers for each port. An interface control circuit controls data packet transfers between the slower ports and the framer in both directions. In a preferred embodiment a function is used by the control circuit to map packets from the link to the ports, using keys extracted from the incoming packets. For an IP packet the key is the source address, destination address (SA/DA)pair, which constrains packets for same IP conversations to be routed by the same path.

Abstract: A replaceable circuit breaker module has a housing for supporting and enclosing elements of the module, a circuit breaker mounted in the housing in a manner that an action of installing the module connects the breaker to bridge an incoming and an outgoing conductor, and monitoring circuitry for monitoring characteristics of the circuit breaker, the monitoring circuitry mounted in the housing and having a first connector element for engaging a mating connector element in the action of installing the module. The module is characterized in that action of withdrawing the circuit breaker module also withdraws the monitoring circuitry. Sensors in the monitoring circuitry may include sensors for monitoring one or more of breaker presence, on/off state of the breaker, and voltage provided to the breaker.

Abstract: A replaceable circuit breaker module has a housing for supporting and enclosing elements of the module, a circuit breaker mounted in the housing in a manner that an action of installing the module connects the breaker to bridge an incoming and an outgoing conductor, and monitoring circuitry for monitoring characteristics of the circuit breaker, the monitoring circuitry mounted in the housing and having a first connector element for engaging a mating connector element in the action of installing the module. The module is characterized in that action of withdrawing the circuit breaker module also withdraws the monitoring circuitry. Sensors in the monitoring circuitry may include sensors for monitoring one or more of breaker presence, on/off state of the breaker, and voltage provided to the breaker.

Abstract: A method for routing a packet received in a packet router is taught, the method comprising the steps of selecting a logical interface having multiple physical ports as a destination for the packet, processing any one or more addresses or labels of the packet and other packets received by a common function, producing thereby results unique to the packets in which the addresses and labels processed differ, (c) mapping the physical ports at the destination to the unique results produced by processing the addresses or labels of packets, and (d) routing the data packet according to the mapping. Weighting is applied to physical ports in the mapping, the weighting reflecting different transmission capacities of the ports. Apparatus for practicing the invention is taught as well.

Abstract: A replaceable circuit breaker module has a housing for supporting and enclosing elements of the module, a circuit breaker mounted in the housing in a manner that an action of installing the module connects the breaker to bridge an incoming and an outgoing conductor, and monitoring circuitry for monitoring characteristics of the circuit breaker, the monitoring circuitry mounted in the housing and having a first connector element for engaging a mating connector element in the action of installing the module. The module is characterized in that action of withdrawing the circuit breaker module also withdraws the monitoring circuitry. Sensors in the monitoring circuitry may include sensors for monitoring one or more of breaker presence, on/off state of the breaker, and voltage provided to the breaker.

Abstract: A line card for a data packet router interfaces to a high-speed standard data link, and has a first portion interfacing to the router and having a plurality of slower ports, and a second portion having a framer compatible with and coupled to the data link. The framer is coupled through an ingress and an egress data path between the framer and the slower ports, each with separate ingress buffers and egress buffers for each port. An interface control circuit controls data packet transfers between the slower ports and the framer in both directions. In a preferred embodiment a function is used by the control circuit to map packets from the link to the ports, using keys extracted from the incoming packets. For an IP packet the key is the source address, destination address (SA/DA)pair, which constrains packets for same IP conversations to be routed by the same path.

Abstract: A multicast engine is provided in plurality within a router for replicating and/or modifying packets identified as multicast packets. In preferred embodiments the engine is integrated with one or more ports of a router, particularly with one or more ports of fabric cards. In one implementation the multicast engine is associated with a table having instructions for replicating or modifying multicast packets received, and forwarding the packets accordingly.

Abstract: A line card for a data packet router interfaces to a high-speed standard data link, and has a first portion interfacing to the router and having a plurality of slower ports, and a second portion having a framer compatible with and coupled to the data link. The framer is coupled through an ingress and an egress data path between the framer and the slower ports, each with separate ingress buffers and egress buffers for each port. An interface control circuit controls data packet transfers between the slower ports and the framer in both directions. In a preferred embodiment a function is used by the control circuit to map packets from the link to the ports, using keys extracted from the incoming packets. For an IP packet the key is the source address, destination address (SA/DA) pair, which constrains packets for same IP conversations to be routed by the same path.

Abstract: A method optimizes performance in a data network including a plurality of ingress ports and output queues. Ingress rates of a plurality of flows are monitored, where each flow includes a sequence of packets passing from an ingress port to an output queue and each flow has a profile related to flow characteristics. Each packet is marked with a marking based on criteria including the ingress flow rate and the flow profile. A drop probability of each packet is adjusted at an output queue according to a value of a drop function taken as a function of a queue size. The drop function is selected according to the marking on the packet. The drop functions are zero for queue sizes less than a lower threshold range and positive for queue sizes greater than the lower threshold range. By selecting drop functions according to ingress flow rate measurements and flow profiles, the data network can be optimized for overall system performance.