Juniper Networks, Inc.

Edwin Su

Debashis Basu

Pradeep S Sindhu

Jean-Marc Frailong

Jeffrey Glenn Libby

Anurag P Gupta

Sharada Yeluri

Data units received by a network device may be classified into traffic flow classes in which the determined traffic flow class for a data unit may be dynamically refined as the data unit is processed by the network device. A dispatch component of the network device may receive data units associated with traffic flow classes. Parallel processing engines of the network device may receive the data units from the dispatch component and may generate, for a least one of the data units, a plurality of dynamically refined indications of the traffic flow class to which the data unit belongs. Additionally, an ordering component of the network device may include a plurality of re-order queues, where the at least one data unit successively progresses through at least two of the re-order queues in an order defined by the plurality of dynamically refined indications of the traffic flow class.

Maintaining data unit order in a network switching device

An arbiter performs arbitration over a plurality of queues and provides data to a plurality of mutually exclusive destinations using combination logic that logically combines a plurality of mutually exclusive vectors into a combination vector. Each of the mutually exclusive vectors corresponds to one of the plurality of mutually exclusive destinations. A number of vector arbiters perform arbitration on each mutually exclusive vector to select a position within the mutually exclusive vector. A combination arbiter performs arbitration on the combination vector to determine a position within the combination vector, which corresponds to the next queue to be serviced. A comparison element compares the position within a mutually exclusive vector and the position within the combination vector to determine the destination of the data within the next queue to be serviced.

Arbiter for multiple mutually exclusive vectors

A hierarchical round robin arbiter includes a first set of arbitration vectors, each associated with a plurality of requesters. A second arbitration vector includes one bit for each arbitration vector in the first set. The single bit informs the round robin arbiter if any of the requesters associated with the corresponding arbitration vector in the first set are requesting service. The round robin arbiter can determine whether one of a number of requesters is requesting service by examining the single bit in the arbitration vector.

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Edwin Su