Parallel Network Address Translation Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Networking devices introduce latency in packet transmission due to serial processing of operations like forwarding, NAT, and ACL, which delays the routing decision and increases latency in high-demand network architectures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing parallel processing of forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations in networking devices, where each operation starts as soon as the relevant information becomes available, and using incremental checksum calculations to reduce latency and processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If serial processing of forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations is used, then device complexity is reduced, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet processing operations into independent parallel modules: forwarding operations, NAT operations, and ACL operations. Each module processes packets independently simultaneously, eliminating the serial execution bottleneck while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional serial processing to multi-dimensional parallel processing by executing forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations in different processing dimensions simultaneously. This dimensional change allows multiple operations to occur at the same time without increasing overall system complexity.
2Loss of time
If parallel processing of forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations is implemented, then latency is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the results of parallel forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations into a unified routing decision. By combining these parallel processing streams at the decision point, the system achieves low latency through parallelism while controlling complexity through a centralized decision-making mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary parallel processing of forwarding, NAT, and ACL operations before the final routing decision is made. This preliminary action allows all necessary processing to occur simultaneously before convergence, reducing overall latency while keeping the decision logic relatively simple.
3Loss of time
If incremental checksum calculations are used, then re-write latency is reduced, but processing precision may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary checksum calculations during the parallel processing phase, before the final packet rewrite operation. By calculating checksums incrementally as data becomes available rather than waiting for complete data assembly, the system reduces re-write latency while maintaining checksum accuracy through progressive validation.
Data Source
AI summary
A packet is received at an ingress port of a networking device and a forwarding result that identifies an egress port for the packet is generated. In parallel with the generation of the forwarding result, a network address translation (NAT) result that identifies one or more NAT rules for possible application to the packet is generated. The forwarding result and the NAT result are then used to generate a routing decision result.