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US6745246B1
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Apparatus and method in a network switch for modifying a bandwidth request between a requestor and a router
Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices Inc
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Filing: 2000-01-28
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Granted: 2004-06-01
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Expires: 2020-01-28
Abstract
Abstract A network switch, configured for performing layer 2 and layer 3 switching in an Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) network without blocking of incoming data packets, includes a network switch port having a filter (i.e., a packet classifier module) configured for evaluating an incoming data packet on an instantaneous basis. The filter performs simultaneous comparisons between the incoming data stream of the data packet and multiple templates configured for identifying respective data protocols. The network switch uses the filter to detect the presence of an RFC 2205 compliant bandwidth reservation message from a host computer for reception by a router. The network switch is configured for selectively changing a requested quality of service specified in the bandwidth reservation message, based on a determined absence of available resources within the network switch. The network switch selectively increases the requested quality service, based on the determined absence of the available resources, to a value that will be denied by the router. Hence, the network switch can ensure that a router does not grant a bandwidth reservation message from a host computer that would cause the capacity of the network switch to be exceeded, without any modification to the host computer or the router, or any interference with the resource reservation protocol specified in RFC 2205.
Inventors
- 👤 Bahadir Erimli
- 👤 Shr-Jie Tzeng
- 👤 Yatin Ramesh Acharya
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 11:51
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L47/00; H04L47/70; H04L47/82; H04L47/822; H04L47/10; H04L47/15; H04L47/72; H04L47/724; H04L47/74; H04L47/745; H04L47/748; H04L47/80; H04L47/805
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A method in a network switching system, the method comprising: receiving by a network switching system a data packet from a host computer and having a media access control (MAC) destination address specifying a router; detecting within the data packet a bandwidth reservation message having a requested quality of service; determining whether the network switching system has at least an available resource sufficient for the requested quality of service; selectively modifying the data packet by selectively increasing by the network switching system the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least a prescribed value forcing denial of the bandwidth reservation message by the router, based on a determined absence of the available resource; and outputting the data packet to the router based on the MAC destination address.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
131 words
A method in a network switching system, the method comprising: receiving by a network switching system a data packet from a host computer and having a media access control (MAC) destination address specifying a router; detecting within the data packet a bandwidth reservation message having a requested quality of service; determining whether the network switching system has at least an available resource sufficient for the requested quality of service; selectively modifying the data packet by selectively increasing by the network switching system the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least a prescribed value forcing denial of the bandwidth reservation message by the router, based on a determined absence of the available resource; and outputting the data packet to the router based on the MAC destination address.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting step includes determining by a port filter within a network switch port of the network switching system that the data packet includes the bandwidth reservation message.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 2 , further comprising forwarding the data packet to a processing unit within the network switching system in response to detection of the bandwidth reservation message.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 3 , wherein the step of determining whether the network switching system has at least the available resource sufficient for the requested quality of service includes determining the available resource within the network switching system, and comparing the available resource to the requested quality of service.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of determining the available resource includes determining a number of free buffer pointers within a free buffer queue relative to a total number of buffer pointers, each said buffer pointer specifying a corresponding memory location in a buffer memory configured for storing a plurality of the data packets, the available resource based on the number of free buffer pointers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 5 , wherein the selectively increasing step includes sending an instruction from the processing unit to a dequeuing block within the network switching system to set the requested quality of service to a maximum value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the network switching system includes an integrated network switch and a processing unit, the detecting step including determining by one of the network switch ports of the integrated network switch that the data packet includes the bandwidth reservation message.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of determining whether the network switching system has at least the available resource sufficient for the requested quality of service includes determining the available resource within the integrated network switch by the processing unit, and comparing by the processing unit the available resource to the requested quality of service.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of determining the available resource includes determining a number of free buffer pointers within a free buffer queue relative to a total number of buffer pointers, each said buffer pointer specifying a corresponding memory location in a buffer memory configured for storing a plurality of the data packets, the available resource based on the number of free buffer pointers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of determining the available resource includes correlating the number of free buffer pointers to a bandwidth value by comparing the number of free buffer pointers to a table that specifies bandwidth relative to the number of free buffer pointers relative to the total number of buffer pointers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of determining the available resource includes subtracting a prescribed amount of reserved bandwidth from the bandwidth value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising reserving bandwidth within the network switching system for the requested quality of service based on a determined presence of the available resource.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the available resource includes determining an available output bandwidth of a network switch port serving the host computer, and comparing the available output bandwidth of the network switch port to the requested quality of service.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
170 words
A network switching system comprising: an integrated network switch including: (1) a plurality of network switch ports, at least one of the network switch ports configured for detecting within a data packet, received from a host computer, a bandwidth reservation message having a requested quality of service, (2) switching logic configured for identifying a second of the network switch ports for outputting the data packet to a router based on a corresponding media access control (MAC) destination address, and (3) logic for selectively modifying the data packet by selectively increasing the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least a prescribed value forcing denial of the bandwidth reservation message by the router; and a processing unit configured for controlling the logic to increase the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least the prescribed value, prior to outputting of the data packet, based on a determined absence of available resources within the integrated network switch sufficient for the requested quality of service.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
170 words
A network switching system comprising: an integrated network switch including: (1) a plurality of network switch ports, at least one of the network switch ports configured for detecting within a data packet, received from a host computer, a bandwidth reservation message having a requested quality of service, (2) switching logic configured for identifying a second of the network switch ports for outputting the data packet to a router based on a corresponding media access control (MAC) destination address, and (3) logic for selectively modifying the data packet by selectively increasing the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least a prescribed value forcing denial of the bandwidth reservation message by the router; and a processing unit configured for controlling the logic to increase the requested quality of service specified in the data packet to at least the prescribed value, prior to outputting of the data packet, based on a determined absence of available resources within the integrated network switch sufficient for the requested quality of service.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
66 words
The system of claim 14 , wherein the integrated network switch further includes a free buffer queue configured for storing a plurality of free buffer pointers, each free buffer pointer specifying a corresponding available memory location for storage of packet data, the processing unit accessing the free buffer queue for determining whether the integrated network switch has the available resources for the requested quality of service.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 15 , wherein the processing unit reserves at least a portion of the available resources for the requested quality of service for at least a prescribed time interval.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
45 words
The system of claim 14 , wherein each network switch port includes a port filter configured for detecting a prescribed pattern within a data packet, the port filter of the one network switch port configured by the processing unit for detecting the bandwidth reservation message.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 14 , wherein the processing unit determines the presence of the available resources for the requested quality of service based on a determined available output bandwidth for the one network switch port serving the host computer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-06-01 | 2007-12-01 | 2008-06-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-06-01 | 2011-12-01 | 2012-06-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-06-01 | 2015-12-01 | 2016-06-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |