Cisco Technology, Inc.

Sriram Haridas

William Robert Lee

Martin Hughes

Michael L Wright

John Brawner Duffie, Iii

Kenneth J Croft, Jr

Joydeep Chowdhury

John Mitten

Louis Couture

In one embodiment, a router that accesses a cable network through a cable modem receives, from the cable modem, a plurality of service-flow classifications utilized by the cable modem to describe service flows on the cable network. Based on the received service-flow classifications from the cable modem, the router determines traffic destined for the cable network that corresponds to each service-flow on the cable network. The router receives, from the cable modem, an indication of network backpressure for a particular service-flow on the cable network. The indication of network backpressure is received when a threshold of network backpressure has been surpassed for the particular service-flow on the cable network. The router controls particular traffic that corresponds to the particular service-flow on the cable network based on the indication of network backpressure for the particular service-flow on the cable network.

Applying router quality of service on a cable modem interface on a per-service-flow basis

Techniques for routing a payload of a first network protocol, which includes header information for a second network protocol, include communicating a packet. In a circuit block, a first type for the first network protocol and a second type for the second network protocol are determined. The circuit block stores a classification that indicates a unique combination of the first type and the second type. A general purpose processor routes the packet based on the classification. Processor clock cycles are saved that would be consumed in determining the types. Furthermore, based on the classification, the processor can store an offset value for aligning the header relative to a cache line. The circuit block can store the packet shifted by the offset value. The processor can then retrieve from memory a single cache line to receive the header, thereby saving excess loading and ejecting of cache.

Network protocol header alignment

In one embodiment, a cable modem determines network backpressure per service-flow, and transmits the network backpressure per service-flow to a router (e.g., co-located on a same network device). Also, the cable modem may transmit service-flow classifications to the router, such that the router may then control traffic per service-flow based on the network backpressure per service-flow, accordingly.

Method and apparatus for classifying a network protocol and aligning a network protocol header relative to cache line boundary

Techniques for initializing an arbitrary portion of memory with an arbitrary pattern includes using a memory controller for performing sequenced read and write operations. The memory controller receives address data, length data and pattern data on a data bus connected to a processor. The address data indicates a location in memory. The length data indicates an amount of memory to be initialized. The pattern data indicates a particular series of bits that is much shorter than the amount of memory indicated by the length data. The memory controller performs multiple write operations on memory beginning at a first location based on the address data and ending at a second location based on the length data. Each write operation writes the pattern data to a current location in memory, thereby initializing the arbitrary portion of memory with an arbitrary pattern based on the pattern data.

Method and apparatus for arbitrarily initializing a portion of memory

A method and system for a voice multicast hardware accelerator are disclosed in which a network device or system includes a host system coupled to a memory to store data and a line card to interface with a plurality of user devices. The host system is to receive a network packet including voice data, to store the voice data in the memory, and to send a voice packet related to the voice data to the line card without duplication. The voice packet includes descriptor fields for multicasting the voice data. The line card is to multicast selectively the voice data stored in the memory to the plurality of user devices based on the descriptor fields in the voice packet. A multicast hardware accelerator can be used to multicast selectively the voice data.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Sriram Haridas