Abstract: A method and a related router comprising a network interface, a logical addressing module and a forwarding element card. The logical addressing module is capable of maintaining at least one local table associating at least one card of the router with at least a portion of at least one service provided by the router. The forwarding element card is capable of receiving a packet stream on the network interface, detecting that the packet stream requires further treatment from a further card of the router and, upon detection, consulting the local table to find an identifier, to which the further card is linked, based on information found in the packet stream before forwarding the packet stream toward the further card.

Abstract: A router and a router architecture comprising at least one network interface, a plurality of processing elements, at least one switching element and a plurality of forwarding elements. Each of the plurality of processing elements comprises at least one processing unit, wherein each processing unit is capable of processing network traffic to provide at least a portion of a network service. The switching element is capable of acting as a proxy of the plurality of processing elements while each of the plurality of forwarding elements is capable of receiving network traffic on the at least one network interface of the router and delegating processing of network traffic toward at least one of the plurality of processing elements through the at least one switching element.

Abstract: A method, a router and a switching element card for providing a rate limiting mechanism in the router. Upon reception of a packet stream from a forwarding element card of the router at a first rate, it is determined that the packet stream is to be forwarded to a further card of the router. If the further card has a treatment rate lower than the first rate, the packet stream is passed to a rate limiting mechanism before being forwarded to the further card. Optionally, if the further card does not have a treatment rate lower than the first rate the packet stream is forwarded to the further card without being passed to the rate limiting mechanism.

Abstract: A router comprising a plurality of elements, each having an element identifier, subdivided into a plurality of groups of at least one element. Each group has a common identifier and each member within each group shares redundant capabilities. Each element is capable of communicating with another element by addressing information to the common identifier instead of the element identifier. Optionally, one element can be a member of more than one group. Another option suggests that all elements within a group share essential information associated with a service provided by the group. Another option is implemented through one element of the router identifying a primary element for a group, wherein the primary element serves requests addressed the corresponding common identifier. Yet another option suggests that one element is identified through configuration of the router as a primary element in its group to serve requests addressed to the common identifier.

Abstract: A method, system, transmitter and receiver for checking an integrity and authenticity of GPRS Tunnelling protocol (GTP) communications of a GPRS system, wherein for each GTP data packed to be sent, the GTP transmitter generates a sequence number indicative of the GTP data packet number, creates the GTP data packet, and computes a digest value associated to the GTP data packet using a shared secret key and information related to the GTP data packet, such as the entire GTP data packet, the IP packet that encapsulates the GTP data packet or NULL data. The GTP transmitter then sends the GTP data packet to a GTP receiver, which uses the shared secret key and the digest value of the GTP data packet to check the authenticity and integrity of the received data packet.