Cisco Technology, Inc.

Hugh Holbrook

Fusun Ertemalp

Dileep Kumar Devireddy

Adam James Sweeney

William Norman Eatherton

Jaushin Lee

Venkateshwar Rao Pullela

Bhushan Mangesh Kanekar

Priyank Ramesh Warkhede

Bangalore Priyadarshan

Dipankar Bhatt Acharya

Nagarani Chandika

A system for managing bandwidth use in a device. In a specific embodiment, the device is a network device that includes a first data scheduler that is adapted to initially share available device bandwidth among a first type of traffic and a second type of traffic on an as-needed basis. A traffic monitor communicates with the first scheduler and causes the first data scheduler to guarantee predetermined transmission characteristics for the second type of traffic. The first data scheduler includes one or more routines for prioritizing first type of traffic above the second type of traffic when the network device is in a first operational mode, and prioritizing the second type of traffic above the first type of traffic when the network device is in a second operation al mode. The minimum transmission characteristics include a minimum service rate and a minimum latency for the second type of traffic.

System and method for managing bandwidth

Access devices and methods according to the invention interconnect digital devices and a network. Setting a parameter associated with each input port of an access device specifies whether the device connected with that port is restricted or unrestricted. When a particular input port is restricted, packet detectors examine the packets received on that port. In some embodiments, an exception handler handles restricted packets from restricted devices in an advantageously flexible manner. In other embodiments, a controller receives a configuration command and sets the restriction parameters accordingly. The invention provides a simple, abstract, easy to use, and flexible tool for network management, configuration, and reconfiguration.

Network access device with restricted and unrestricted input ports

Methods and systems for distributing packets across all available output paths within a network is provided. A distribution key is extracted from each packet and is hashed to generate a hash value. An output path for each packet is selected by using all N bits of the hash value to address a distribution table having at least 2indications of the output paths available for that packet. Thus, the stream of packets is distributed, or split up, across the available output paths, thereby balancing the load. In some embodiments, the order of the output paths is randomized within each distribution table. Other embodiments include a forwarding table used to determine the available output paths for a particular packet. In yet other embodiments, the distribution key includes the packet's source and destination; thus preventing packets within the same stream having varying latencies due to traveling along varying paths.

Distributing a stream of packets across available output paths within a network

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, data structures, computer-readable media, and mechanisms for maintaining counters, such as in, but not limited to a packet switching system, and updating a secondary counter storage based on values of the counters and entries in an overflow buffer. Multiple counter values are stored in a counter bank. An indication of a particular counter of the multiple counters to update is received. A current value of the particular counter is updated in the counter bank, and if an overflow condition results, then an indication of the particular counter is added to an overflow buffer. Periodically each of the multiple counters is visited and corresponding values are updated in a secondary storage, and each entry is retrieved from the overflow buffer and a corresponding value is updated in the secondary storage.

Counter updating system using an update mechanism and different counter utilization mechanism

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, data structures, computer-readable media, and mechanisms for maintaining counters, such as in, but not limited to a packet switching system, and updating a secondary counter storage based on values of the counters and entries in an overflow buffer. Multiple counter values are stored in a counter bank. An indication of a particular counter of the multiple counters to update is received. A current value of the particular counter is updated in the counter bank, and if an overflow condition results, then an indication of the particular counter is added to an overflow buffer. Periodically each of the multiple counters are visited and corresponding values are updated in a secondary storage, and each entry is retrieved from the overflow buffer and a corresponding value is updated in the secondary storage.

Maintaining counters and updating a secondary counter storage

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for performing lookup operations using associative memories, including, but not limited to modifying search keys within an associative memory based on modification mappings, forcing a no-hit condition in response to a highest-priority matching entry including a force no-hit indication, selecting among various sets or banks of associative memory entries in determining a lookup result, and detecting and propagating error conditions. In one implementation, each block retrieves a modification mapping from a local memory and modifies a received search key based on the mapping and received modification data. In one implementation, each of the associative memory entries includes a field for indicating that a successful match on the entry should or should not force a no-hit result. In one implementation, an indication of which associative memory blocks or sets of entries to use in a particular lookup operation is retrieved from a memory.

Performing lookup operations on associative memory entries

A method and system transforms one or more lists for a data communications system into a single list, each list of the one or more lists including a plurality of entries. The method includes removing non-terminating entries from the plurality of entries in the one or more lists, the removing each non-terminating entry removing all but a last non-terminating entry in any of the one or more lists; and eliminating from the plurality of entries one or more entries that provide for one or more impossible actions, wherein the removing of non-terminating entries and the eliminating of one or more entries that provide for impossible actions, if any, produce a single list preserving tracing of the entries in the single list to the plurality of entries.

Statistics-preserving ACL flattening system and method

PERFORMING LOOKUP OPERATIONS USING ASSOCIATIVE MEMORIES OPTIONALLY INCLUDING MODIFYING A SEARCH KEY IN GENERATING A LOOKUP WORD AND POSSIBLY FORCING A NO-HIT INDICATION IN RESPONSE TO MATCHING A PARTICULAR ENTRY

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Hugh Holbrook