Abstract: A method (and apparatus) for determining, in a system including an m-bit time counter, whether an event-occurrence time lies after a predetermined timeout-value, includes reading out of a time-stamp memory a stored time-stamp value, determining the time-difference between the time-stamp value and the event-occurrence time, and determining whether the time-difference is larger than the predetermined timeout-value. The event-occurrence time is represented by a subset of the bits of the m-bit time counter, the subset being determined by a plurality of parameters including any two of a lower bit-position, an upper bit-position, and a subset width. The lower bit-position is dependent on the predetermined timeout-value.

Abstract: A method and systems for dynamically distributing packet flows over multiple network processing means and recombining packet flows after processing while keeping packet order even for traffic wherein an individual flow exceeds the performance capabilities of a single network processing means is disclosed. After incoming packets have been analyzed to identify the flow the packets are parts of, the sequenced load balancer of the invention dynamically distributes packets to the connected independent network processors. A balance history is created per flow and updated each time a packet of the flow is received and/or transmitted. Each balance history memorizes, in time order, the identifier of network processor having handled packets of the flow and the associated number of processed packets. Processed packets are then transmitted back to a high-speed link or memorized to be transmitted back to the high-speed link later, depending upon the current status of the balance history.

Abstract: Described is a method and system for processing data packets of a data stream in a communication system. The data packets are processed depending on a feature of the header of a data packet in a faster path or in a slower path. To avoid a disorder by the different processing paths, the fast processed data packets are stored in a memory. The stored fast processed data packets are output after all slowly processed data packets which before the processing were in order before the fast data packets have been put to the output. In this way, the processed data packets are in the same order as prior to the processing.

Abstract: A method (and apparatus) for determining, in a system including an m-bit time counter, whether an event-occurrence time lies after a predetermined timeout-value, includes reading out of a time-stamp memory a stored time-stamp value, determining the time-difference between the time-stamp value and the event-occurrence time, and determining whether the time-difference is larger than the predetermined timeout-value. The event-occurrence time is represented by a subset of the bits of the m-bit time counter, the subset being determined by a plurality of parameters including any two of a lower bit-position, an upper bit-position, and a subset width. The lower bit-position is dependent on the predetermined timeout-value.