Abstract: A network device includes a plurality of physical ports configured to be coupled to one or more networks, and a processor device configured to process packets. The processor device includes a processor configured to implement a logical port assignment mechanism to assign source logical port information to a data packet received via a source physical port of the plurality of physical ports. The source logical port information is assigned based on one or more characteristics of the data packet, and the source logical port information corresponds to a logical entity that is different from any physical port. The processor device also includes a forwarding engine processor configured to determine one or more egress logical ports for forwarding the data packet, map the egress logical port(s) to respective egress physical port(s) of the plurality of physical ports, and forward the data packet to the egress physical port(s) based on the mapping.

Abstract: A packet processor for a network device includes an incoming port that receives a first packet. The first packet includes a data portion, a control portion and a first outgoing port. A control data processing device receives the control portion from the incoming port while the data portion is stored in memory, and transmits the control portion to the first outgoing port. The first outgoing port transmits a first request for the data portion based on the control portion. A header altering device retrieves the data portion from the memory and strips, modifies, and encapsulates the data portion based on the first request.

Abstract: A network device comprises a plurality of physical ports and a packet processing pipeline. The packet processing pipeline is configured to assign a virtual port from a plurality of virtual ports to a packet received via one of the physical ports, wherein a quantity of the virtual ports is larger than a quantity of the physical ports, and wherein, for each of at least some of the physical ports, multiple virtual ports correspond to one physical port. The packet processing pipeline is also configured to assign a virtual domain from a plurality of virtual domains to the packet based on the assigned virtual port, and process the packet based on one or more of i) the assigned virtual port, ii) the assigned virtual domain, and iii) a header field of the packet, including determining zero, one, or more physical ports to which the packet is to be forwarded.

Abstract: A network switch including first, second, and third stack units. The first stack unit includes a first interface configured to communicate, via a first link, with a second stack unit of the network switch; a second interface configured to communicate, via a second link, with a third stack unit of the network switch; and a forwarding engine configured to transfer a first packet to the first interface, and in response to the first link being inoperative, to (i) receive the first packet from the first interface, and (ii) transfer the first packet received from the first interface to the second interface.

Abstract: A first network device includes a host and a memory. A media access controller receives data from the host and stores the data in the memory at a first rate. A physical-layer device receives the data from the memory and transmits the data from the first network device to a second network device. The memory is connected between the media access controller and the physical-layer device. An amount of the data stored in the memory is based on the first rate and a second rate at which the physical-layer device transfers the data from the memory to the second network device. The first rate is greater than the second rate. A control circuit, based on an amount of the data stored in the memory, transmits a first frame to the media access controller. The media access controller, in response to the first frame, decreases the first rate.

Abstract: A network device comprises a plurality of physical ports, and a packet processing pipeline coupled to the plurality of physical ports. The packet processing pipeline is configured to assign a virtual port from a plurality of virtual ports to a packet received via one of the physical ports, wherein a quantity of the plurality of virtual ports is larger than a quantity of the plurality of physical ports, and wherein, for each of at least some of the physical ports, multiple virtual ports correspond to one physical port. The packet processing pipeline is also configured to assign a virtual domain from a plurality of virtual domains to the packet based on the assigned virtual port, and process the packet based on one or more of i) the assigned virtual port, ii) the assigned virtual domain, and iii) a header field of the packet, including determining zero, one, or more physical ports to which the packet is to be forwarded.

Abstract: A network device including a media access control (MAC) device, and a physical layer (PHY) device. The physical layer (PHY) device is in communication with the MAC device via (i) a first serializer/deserializer (SERDES) and (ii) a second SERDES, wherein the first SERDES and the second SERDES operate at a fixed data rate. The MAC device comprises a translator configured to, in response to the MAC device operating at a data rate that is less than the fixed data rate, i) append a predetermined number of bits to data in a first data stream to be transmitted to the PHY device, and ii) subsequent to appending the predetermined number of bits to the data in the first data stream, duplicate the data having the appended predetermined number of bits to generate a second data stream at the fixed data rate.

Abstract: A system including a memory configured to store a bridge table, in which the bridge table includes an entry associating each of an Internet Protocol multicast destination address and an Internet Protocol source address with a port indicator, and the port indicator identifies one or more ports of a switch. The system further includes a controller configured to, in response to the switch receiving an Ethernet packet comprising an Internet Protocol multicast packet, i) generate a key based on each of an Internet Protocol multicast destination address and an Internet Protocol source address associated with the Ethernet packet, ii) lookup the bridge table using the key, and iii) flood the Ethernet packet to the one or more ports identified by the port indicator in response to confirming, based on the key, that the entry in the bridge table is an Internet Protocol multicast entry.

Abstract: Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method comprising performing, by an iterative parser and classifier engine, a first parsing and classification cycle on a data packet, based at least in part on header information of the data packet; generating a first parsing and classification result based at least in part on performing the first parsing and classification cycle; and performing a second parsing and classification cycle on the data packet, based at least in part on header information of the data packet and the first parsing and classification result. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A packet processing pipeline is configured to classify packets received via a network based on information in the received packets: (1) as belonging to one of a plurality of identified flows, or (2) as not belonging to any of the plurality of identified flows. For each received packet determined not to belong to one of the previously identified flows, the pipeline sends at least a portion of the packet or a corresponding packet descriptor to a processing unit. For each received packet determined not to belong to one of the previously identified flows, the processing unit defines a new flow corresponding to the packet based on an analysis of the portion corresponding packet descriptor, and configures the packet processing pipeline to handle the new flow.

Abstract: A network device including a buffer and a processor. The buffer is configured to store a packet received by the network device. The buffer has a predetermined size. The packet includes a first transmit window size for a first communication session handled by the network device. The processor is configured to modify the first transmit window size based on i) the predetermined size of the buffer, and ii) a second transmit window size for a second communication session handled by the network device. The second communication session is different than the first communication session.

Abstract: A flow classifier for a network device that processes packets including packet headers includes a hash generator that generates hash index values from search keys derived from the packet headers. A hash table receives the hash index values and outputs pointers. A flow table includes flow keys and corresponding actions. A variable length (VL) trie data structure uses the pointers to locate the flow keys for the search keys. The VL trie data structure selects different flow keys for the search keys that share a common hash index value. The pointers include node, NIL and leaf pointers. The flow classifier performs a default action for the NIL pointers. A pointer calculator accesses a VL trie table using the pointers.

Abstract: A network including a plurality of ports configured to exchange frames of data and a forwarding engine. The forwarding engine is configured to transfer the frames of data among the ports. Each frame of data includes an identifier that identifies a destination to which the frame is to be transferred by the forwarding engine. A first port of the plurality of ports includes a register configured to store an identifier of a backup port to be used in response to a failure of the first port, the backup port being among the plurality of port, and a redirect port. The redirect circuit is configured to, in response to the failure of the first port, replace the identifier in each frame of data identifying the first port as the destination port with the identifier of the backup port. Each frame having a replaced identifier is subsequently forwarded to the backup port.

Abstract: Apparatus having corresponding methods and computer programs comprise a first first-in first-out buffer (FIFO) to receive and store data from a media access controller (MAC); a physical-layer device (PHY) to transmit a signal representing the data; and a control circuit comprising a read circuit to transfer the data from the first FIFO to the PHY, and a transmit pause circuit to transmit a pause frame to the MAC when an amount of the data stored in the first FIFO exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A network switch includes a memory to store associations between at least one flooding domain and a plurality of network interfaces. A classifier assigns a processor code to selected packets received at one or more of the network interfaces. The processor code includes a flag indicating if a packet is to be processed by a processor. A transfer circuit transfers packets among the network interfaces based on the associations and transfers the selected packets to the processor based on the processor code independently of transfer of packets to at least one flooding domain.

Abstract: An apparatus having a corresponding method and computer program comprises a control circuit to determine a number N of network devices belonging to a virtual local area network, wherein the virtual local area network does not require authentication of the network devices; and a policy circuit to limit an aggregate data rate of the virtual local area network according to the number N of network devices belonging to the virtual local area network.

Abstract: An embodiment includes a method that includes receiving source commands to establish a configuration to control a computer networking function in a computer networking device, wherein the source commands are written in a source command language. The method selectively translates the source commands from the source command language to target commands written in a target command language, wherein the translation is based, at least in part, on a function-to-function translation model. The configuration is established in the computer networking device based on the target commands.

Abstract: A network switch including a port, a memory, and a controller. The port has a port identifier and receives a packet (including an address of the source device) transmitted from a source device to the network switch. The memory is configured to store entries, each entry including (i) an identifier of a port of the network switch and (ii) an address of a network device. The controller is configured to (i) determine whether the address of the source device and the port identifier of the packet are stored in the memory and (ii) send a message to a processor requesting approval of the packet. The controller is configured to send the message when (i) the address of the source device is not stored in the memory or (ii) the port identifier of the packet is not stored with the address of the source device as one of the entries.

Abstract: A packet processor for a network device includes an incoming port that receives a first packet. The first packet includes a data portion, a control portion and a first outgoing port. A control data processing device receives the control portion from the incoming port while the data portion is stored in memory, and transmits the control portion to the first outgoing port. The first outgoing port transmits a first request for the data portion based on the control portion. A header altering device retrieves the data portion from the memory and strips, modifies, and encapsulates the data portion based on the first request.

Abstract: In a data transfer interface, at least one deserializer receives a serial data stream at a first clock speed and outputs a first parallel data stream at a second clock speed. The first parallel data stream includes data symbols representing data and alignment symbols for aligning the data symbols at a downstream location. A demultiplexer demultiplexes the first parallel data stream into a plurality of second parallel data streams based on the alignment symbols.