US6359879B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Composite trunking
Assignee: BEXLEY SOLUTIONS LLC
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Filing: 1998-05-06
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Granted: 2002-03-19
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Expires: 2018-05-06
Abstract
Abstract An Internet router treats plural output ports with a common destination as a composite port. A routing table uses the IP address to determine a composite trunk to which the packet is to be forwarded. A forwarding table identifies a route along a routing fabric within the router to a specific output port of the composite port. Output ports and fabric routes are selected to maintain order within a flow by routing the flow along a single fabric route to a single output trunk. The forwarding table may favor output ports which are nearest to a packet input port, and the forwarding table may be modified to dynamically balance load across the trunks of a composite trunk.
Inventors
- 👤 Philip P. Carvey
- 👤 William J. Dally
- 👤 Larry R. Dennison
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:46
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L12/00; H04L12/28; H04L45/00; H04L45/02; H04L45/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S370/00; Y10S370/901; Y10S370/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
83 words
A network router comprising: a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port the output port selector maintaining ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
83 words
A network router comprising: a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port the output port selector maintaining ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A router as claimed in claim 1 wherein the output port selector further maintains ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow along a single route through the router fabric.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
78 words
A network router comprising; a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port, the output port selector favoring output ports having lesser distances to be traversed on the routing fabric from an input port.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
78 words
A network router comprising; a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port, the output port selector favoring output ports having lesser distances to be traversed on the routing fabric from an input port.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
72 words
A network router comprising: a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port, the output port selector comprising a routing table which maps destination addresses to composite trunks.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
72 words
A network router comprising: a plurality of trunk ports, including a composite port of plural ports to plural trunks which serve as a composite trunk to a common destination; a routing fabric for transfer of data packets between trunk ports; and an output port selector which selects an output port for a packet from a composite port, the output port selector comprising a routing table which maps destination addresses to composite trunks.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A router as claimed in claim 4 wherein the output port selector further comprises a forwarding table which maps composite trunks to sets of routes within the routing fabric.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A router as claimed in claim 5 wherein the output port selector maintains ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A router as claimed in claim 6 wherein the output port selector further maintains ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow along a single route through the router fabric.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
A router as claimed in claim 6 wherein the network is the Internet and the destination addresses are Internet protocol addresses.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
A router as claimed in claim 8 wherein the routing fabric is a three-dimensional torus.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A router as claimed in claim 5 wherein the output port selector balances load across the trunks of a composite trunk.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A router as claimed in claim 5 wherein the output port selector dynamically balances load across the trunks of a composite trunk.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A router as claimed in claim 5 wherein the output port selector favors output ports having lesser distances to be traversed on the routing fabric from an input port.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A router as claimed in claim 4 wherein the output port selector further comprises a forwarding table which maps composite trunks to sets of output ports.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A router as claimed in claim 13 wherein the output port selector further comprises a forwarding table which maps outputs to sets of routes within the routing fabric.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
33 words
A router as claimed in claim 13 wherein the output port selector maintains ordering of packets within a flow by routing packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the trunk being selected to maintain ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
65 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the trunk being selected to maintain ordering of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow on a single trunk of a composite trunk; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in claim 16 routing within a routing fabric is selected to maintain order of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow along a single route.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the trunk being selected to favor a lesser distance between input and output ports on a fabric within the router; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the trunk being selected to favor a lesser distance between input and output ports on a fabric within the router; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the step of selecting one of plural trunks including the step of determining a composite trunk from a destination address through routing table lookup; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
62 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination, the step of selecting one of plural trunks including the step of determining a composite trunk from a destination address through routing table lookup; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the step of selecting one of plural trunks further comprises selecting a route within a routing fabric through a forwarding table lookup.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the route within the fabric is selected to preserve the order of packets within a flow.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the routing within a routing fabric is selected to maintain order of packets within a flow by routing the packets of the flow along a single route.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the trunk is selected to balance load across the trunks of a composite trunk.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the trunk is selected to dynamically balance load across the trunks of a composite trunk.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the trunk is selected to favor a lesser distance between input and output ports on a fabric within the router.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets from a final destination identifier included in the packet; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination; routing the packet within the router on a three-dimensional torus fabric from an input port to an output port; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of routing packets in a network comprising: identifying a destination of the packets from a final destination identifier included in the packet; selecting one of plural trunks forming a composite trunk to the destination; routing the packet within the router on a three-dimensional torus fabric from an input port to an output port; and forwarding the packets toward the destination on the selected trunk.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-03-18 | 2005-09-17 | 2006-03-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-03-18 | 2009-09-17 | 2010-03-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-03-18 | 2013-09-17 | 2014-03-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |