Abstract: A network device for processing packets. The network device includes applying specific fields from a packet to an associated memory device and comparing means for comparing input to the memory device with entries in the memory device. The network device also includes enabling means for enabling selection of bits, by the memory device, that are required to match exactly with bits from the input to the memory device. The network device further includes outputting means for outputting an address for a matched entry by the memory device and applying means for applying a match from the memory device to an associated entry in a table for applying actions from the table that are associated with the match to the packet.

Abstract: A network device for implementing VLAN translation on a packet. The network device includes a user network interface port for receiving and transmitting packets to customers of a network. The network device also includes a network to network interface port for communicating with a second network device in the network. A packet received at the user network interface port is classified, translated based on a predefined provider field associated with the packet, and encapsulated with a tag that is removed when the packet is transmitted from the user network interface port to a customer.

Abstract: A network device for uniform distribution of non-unicast traffic, such as layer 2 broadcast, layer 2 multicast, unknown unicast and layer 3 multicast on a truch group. The network device includes at least one trunk group including a plurality of physical ports. The network device is connected to at least one other network device by a number of the plurality of physical ports. The network device also includes a table with a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is associated with the number of the plurality of physical ports on the network device. Each entry specifies if a packet should be transmitted on one of the plurality of physical ports. The network device further includes hashing means for hashing a predefined number of bits from predefined fields in the packet to select one entry in the table. The selected entry is used to identify a destination port. The network device also includes transmitting means for transmitting the packet to the destination port.

Abstract: A network device for processing packets includes an ingress module for performing switching functions on an incoming packet, a memory management unit for storing packets and performing resource checks on each packet and an egress module for performing packet modification and transmitting a modified packet to an appropriate egress port. The egress module is configured to send an unmodified version of the incoming packet to an ingress mirrored-to-port when an ingress port, upon which the incoming packet is received, is configured to mirror packets received by the ingress port.

Abstract: A method of handling a datagram in a network device is disclosed. The steps include receiving a datagram, with the datagram having multiple field values, at a port of a network device, parsing the received datagram to obtain the field values, applying the parsed field values to a Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM), determining matches between the parsed field values and predetermined criteria in the TCAM, indexing into a policy table based on the determined matches to obtain an action entry and taking an action based on the obtained action entry.