3com Corporation

3com Technologies

Robin Parry

Justin A Drummond-Murray

David J Law

Daniel M O'Keeffe

Paul J Moran

Christopher Alan Walker

An Ethernet data packet including a VLAN tag header and a VLAN identification field is modified. The modification is accomplished by inserting in place of the VLAN tag header a field of the same size including selected information. The VLAN identification may be retained. The inserted field may include a first field indicating the presence of the VLAN identification field and a second field of selected information, the second field being longer than the first field.

Modification of tag fields in Ethernet data packets

A multiport network device includes a multiplicity of receive queues, a multiplicity of transmit queues and a forwarding engine for transferring entries from the receive queues to the transmit queues. When a transmit queue is greater than a first hysteresis point, the forwarding engine prevents transfer of entries from a receive queue to the transmit queue and transfer of entries to the transmit queue is allowed when the length of the transmit queue falls below a second hysteresis point.

Network switch including hysteresis in signalling fullness of transmit queues

A packet memory system including a memory space having a multiplicity of addressable memory locations for the storage of data packets, pointer control means for generating a write pointer which progressively defines where data is to be written to the memory space and a read pointer which progressively defines where data is to be read from the memory space and an ageing clock which defines a succession of intervals. The pointer control means generates a 'current' pointer and a 'discard' pointer and for each interval is operative to cause the &lsquo;current&rsquo; pointer to correspond to an immediately previous value of the write pointer and to cause the discard pointer to correspond to an immediately previous value of the said current pointer. In this manner the portion of the memory space between the &lsquo;discard&rsquo; pointer and the read pointer denotes data which has been in said memory space for at least two of said intervals. The system thereby defines ageing by means of pointers and avoids the ambiguities or inconvenience of known recycling ageing schemes.

Ageing of data packets using queue pointers

A clock selector circuit for selecting a single output clock signal from a multiplicity of input clock signals, each constituted by transitions between binary states, comprises a multiplicity of D-bistables each having a clock input coupled to receive the respective one of the input clock signals, a D-input coupled to receive a hold signal common to the bistables, and an output for providing a respective hold signal. A first multiplexer has inputs coupled to receive the respective input clock signals and is operative to select in response to the selection signal one of said input signals. A second multiplexer has inputs coupled to receive the respective hold signals and is operative to select in response to the selection signal the hold signal corresponding to the clock signal selected by the first multiplexer. A gate is coupled to receive both the clock signal selected by the first multiplexer and the hold signal selected by the second multiplexer and asserts an output whichever of the input signals to the gate may be asserted. The assertion of the common hold signal precedes a chance in state of the selection signal and endures at least until all the hold signals have been asserted and a change in state of the selection signal has occurred. The circuit facilitates glitch-free clock multiplexing.

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Watford, United Kingdom

Robin Parry