Systems and methods of using a packet order work (POW) scheduler to assign packets to a set of scheduler queues for supplying packets to parallel processing units. A processing unit and the associated scheduler queue is dedicated to a specific flow until a queue-reallocation event, which may correspond to the associated scheduler queue being idle for at least a certain interval as indicated by its age counter, or the queue being the least recently used, when a new flow arrives. In this case, the scheduler queue and the associated processing unit may be reallocated to the new flow and disassociated with the previous flow. As a result, dynamic packet workload balancing can be advantageously achieved across the multiple processing paths.

A self-protecting router limits the extent to which its queues can be filled with potentially malicious or otherwise harmful messages received from outside the router, thereby ensuring the queues have sufficient room to accept messages generated internally within the router and are necessary for management and operation of the router. Such routers are, therefore, immune to attack by floods of messages from malicious or malfunctioning network nodes, such as computers, switches and other routers.

An apparatus comprising at least one receiver configured to receive a traffic flow, receive information comprising a set of functions and an order of the set from a controller, and a processor coupled to the at least one receiver and configured to assign the traffic flow to one or more resources, determine a processing schedule for the traffic flow, and process the traffic flow by the set of functions, following the order of the set, using the one or more resources, and according to the processing schedule.

A packet forwarding method includes receiving N Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) packet flows, where each of the N TSN packet flows corresponds to a constraint condition that defines duration of a cycle, a maximum quantity of packets that are allowed to be transmitted in the cycle, and a maximum length of a single packet, and forwarding the N TSN packet flows based on a new constraint condition, where the new constraint condition is based on the constraint condition corresponding to each of the N TSN packet flows and defines duration of a new cycle, a new maximum quantity of new packets that are allowed to be transmitted in the new cycle, and a new maximum length of a new packet, where each of the N TSN packet flows is forwarded in a case in which a corresponding constraint condition is complied with.

Methods and systems for a more efficient transmission of network traffic are provided. According to one embodiment, presence of outbound payload data, distributed across a first and second payload buffer, within a user memory space of a network device that has been generated by a user process is determined by a bus/memory interface or a network interface unit. The payload data is fetched by performing direct virtual memory addressing of the user memory space including mapping virtual addresses of the payload buffers to corresponding physical addresses, including: (i) when the payload buffers are noncontiguous, then retrieving the outbound payload data with reference to multiple buffer descriptors having starting virtual addresses of the payload buffers and (ii) when they are contiguous, then retrieving the outbound payload data with reference to a single buffer descriptor. The outbound payload data is then segmented across one or more TCP packets.

Data-driven intelligent networking systems and methods are provided. The system can accommodate dynamic traffic while applying injection limits to different traffic classes at an ingress edge port. The system can maintain state information of individual packet flows, which can be set up or released dynamically based on injected data. Each flow can be provided with a flow-specific input queue upon arriving at a switch. Packets of a respective flow can be acknowledged after reaching the egress point of the network, and the acknowledgement packets can be sent back to the ingress point of the flow along the same data path. Furthermore, an edge switch can dynamically allocate the ingress port bandwidth among the traffic classes that are active at a given moment.

A network device such as a router or switch, in one embodiment, includes a timing analyzer which is capable of providing timing analysis over one or more network circuits. The timing analyzer, in one aspect, receives a data packet traveling across a circuit emulation service (“CES”) circuit such as T1 or E1 circuit. Upon obtaining an arrival timestamp associated with the data packet, the arrival timestamp is stored in a timestamp buffer in accordance with a first-in first-out (“FIFO”) storage sequence. After identifying the oldest arrival timestamp in the timestamp buffer, an offset is generated based on the result of comparison between the arrival timestamp and the oldest timestamp. The timing analyzer can also be configured to generate timing reports on-demand based on generated offset(s).

A group of low-level FIFOs may be logically bound together to form a super-FIFO. The super-FIFO may treat each low-level FIFO as a storage location. The super-FIFO may enable a push to (or a pop from) every low-level FIFO, simultaneously. The super-FIFO may enable a virtual channel (VC) to use the super-FIFO, bypassing a VC FIFO for the VC, removing several cycles of latency otherwise needed for enqueuing and dequeuing messages in the VC FIFO. In addition, the super-FIFO may enable bypassing of an arbiter, further reducing latency by avoiding a penalty of the arbiter.

The present invention relates to packet-switched networks, such as Ethernet, and more particularly to a method for traffic shaping of data frames to transmit in such a telecommunication network, the frames to transmit being distinguished between: express frames, needing to be sent within predetermined time windows, and normal frames, intended to be sent at times outside said time windows. More particularly, for a current normal frame, the method comprises the steps of: determining whether said normal frame can be fragmented, and if yes: determining whether a remaining time to a next time window opening is enough to transmit one or several fragments of said normal frame, and if yes: transmitting said one or several fragments.

An example of a distributed system partition can include a method for client service in a distributed switch. The method can include maintaining local and global connection state information between a primary and a secondary controlling fibre channel (FC) over Ethernet (FCoE) Forwarders (FCFs) or FC forwarder in a distributed switch. A partition in the distributed switch can be detected and service to subtended clients of the distributed switch can continued using local state information.