Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Brocade Communication Systems LLC

Kevin Kwun-Nan Lin

Bipin Agarwal

Marc Lewis Lavine

Rajeshekhar Murtinty

Gefan Zhang

Rajshekhar Murtinty

A stackable device having a plurality of data ports, wherein each of the data ports is capable of operating as a regular data port or a stacking port. A first set of one or more of the data ports is specified as a first flexible stacking port, and a second set of one or more of the data ports is specified as a second flexible stacking port. Each flexible stacking port can be individually configured to operate as an actual stacking port, if required by the configuration of an associated stack. If a flexible stacking port is not configured to operate as an actual stacking port, then the data port(s) included in the flexible stacking port are available to operate as regular data port(s).

Flexible stacking port

Methods for efficiently managing a ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) by minimizing movements of TCAM entries include determining a first node and a second node in the TCAM, determining if there is a free TCAM entry between the first node and the second node, and storing the new entry in the free TCAM entry. Upon determining that a free TCAM entry does not exist between the first node and the second node, further determining a chain of nodes and then determining if there is a free TCAM entry in the chain of nodes. Upon determining that there is a free TCAM entry within the chain of nodes, moving the TCAM entries identified as the nodes in the chain of nodes to generate a free node nearest to the new entry and inserting the new entry in the free node. Moving the TCAM entries identified as the nodes in the chain of nodes preserves the order of the nodes.

TCAM management approach that minimize movements

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Kevin Kwun-Nan Lin