Merged MAC Table for Network Device Forwarding Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network devices introduce latency due to separate adjacency and MAC tables, which require serial lookups and duplicate VLAN,MAC address information, leading to inefficiencies in packet forwarding.
Innovation Solution
Merging the adjacency and MAC tables into a single merged MAC table under hardware control, allowing for reduced latency and redundant information removal, with mechanisms for hardware-accelerated operations and efficient egress port determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate adjacency and MAC tables are used for packet forwarding, then forwarding operations can be performed with dedicated structures, but latency increases due to serial lookups and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the adjacency table and MAC table into a single unified forwarding table structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate serial lookups in both tables, reducing packet forwarding latency while maintaining the functional separation of adjacency and MAC address operations through a unified hardware-controlled structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified forwarding table is designed to handle both adjacency operations and MAC address operations within a single structure. The table can be accessed via different key types (adjacency keys or MAC address keys) to perform different forwarding functions, eliminating redundant structures and reducing overall device complexity.
2Productivity
If separate adjacency and MAC tables are maintained, then specific forwarding operations can be optimized, but device complexity and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple forwarding tables into a single unified structure that stores both adjacency information and MAC address information. This merging reduces the number of separate data structures the device must manage, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining efficient access paths for different operation types.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified forwarding table serves multiple functions: it performs both adjacency lookups and MAC address lookups, and can support different forwarding operation types within the same structure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated tables, reducing device complexity while preserving operational efficiency.
3Reliability
If adjacency and MAC tables are kept separate, then each table can be optimized for its specific function, but redundant VLAN,MAC address information is stored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the adjacency and MAC tables into a single unified forwarding table, eliminating redundant storage of VLAN and MAC address information. The unified structure stores each piece of forwarding information once, with appropriate indexing and access mechanisms that allow both adjacency operations and MAC address operations to retrieve the same underlying data without duplication.
Data Source
AI summary
A packet is received at an ingress port of a network device. Based on forwarding information in the packet, an adjacency point is generated using a forwarding information database. If the packet is a routed packet, the adjacency pointer is used as an index to an entry in a media access control (MAC) table that identifies an egress port for the packet. If the packet is not a routed packet, a search is performed in the MAC table to locate an entry in the MAC table that identifies an egress port for the packet.