Method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between routing and switching packets in a transmission network

Patent 5920705 Issued on July 6, 1999. Estimated Expiration Date:

January 30, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventors

Assignee

Nokia IP, Inc.

Application

No. 792183 filed on 01/30/1997

US Classes:

709/240, Prioritized data routing370/409, Employing logical addressing for routing (e.g., VP or VC)709/238COMPUTER-TO-COMPUTER DATA ROUTING

Examiners

Primary: Donaghue, Larry D.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP

International Class

G06F 015/16

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically shifting between switching and routing packets efficiently to provide high packet throughput. The present invention provides a method for transmitting packets between an upstream node and a downstream node in a network that utilizes flow classification and labelling to redirect flows. The method includes the steps of establishing default virtual channels between the upstream node and the downstream node, receiving a packet at the downstream node, performing a flow classification at the downstream node on the packet to determine whether the packet belongs to a specified flow that should be redirected in the upstream node, selecting a free label at the downstream node, and informing the upstream node that future packets belonging to the specified flow should be sent with the selected free label attached. Other embodiments of the present invention include a basic switching unit, a switch gateway unit, and a switching agent for use in a system for transmitting packets in a network. Another embodiment includes system software, fixed on tangible media, that performs flow classification of packets to enable flow labelling and redirection to dynamically shift between Layer 3 IP packet routing and Layer 2 switching to optimize packet traffic throughput. A further embodiment provides a method for switching a flow at a first node in a network.