HETEROGENEOUS MEDIA PACKET BRIDGING

摘要

Methods and systems for bridging network packets transmitted over heterogeneous media channels are provided. According to one embodiment, a network switching/routing blade server comprises network modules, including a first and second set operable to receive packets having a first and second framing media format, respectively. A single bridging domain is provided by a shared bridging application. A memory stores data structures for translating between the first and second framing media formats via an intermediate format. The netmods pass a received packet, through a switching fabric, to the bridging application, which determines a relay location for the packet and whether the relay location is among the other set of netmods. Responsive to an affirmative determination, the bridging application uses the translation data structures to translate the packet before relaying the packet to the relay location.

主权项

1. A network routing/switching blade server comprising:
a plurality of network modules, including:
a first set of network modules implemented within a first server blade and operable to receive, via a first set of line interface ports, network packets having a first framing media format of a plurality of framing media formats; anda second set of network modules implemented within a second server blade and operable to transmit, via a second set of line interface ports, network packets having a second framing media format of the plurality of framing media formats; a plurality of processing resources implemented within one or more server blades coupled to the plurality of network modules and shared by the plurality of network modules, including a first processing resource upon which a virtual bridging application executes, the virtual bridging application representing a single bridging domain for all network packets received by the network routing/switching blade server; a non-transitory memory, accessible to the first processing resource, having stored therein one or more translation data structures defining translations between the first framing media format and an intermediate format and between the intermediate format and the second framing media format; a switching fabric server blade, coupled to the plurality of network modules, forwarding the network packets received from the first set of network modules to one or more of the plurality of processing resources; wherein responsive to receiving a network packet, the first set of network modules pass the network packet to the virtual bridging application through the switching fabric server blade; the virtual bridging application determines a relay location to which the network packet is to be relayed and whether the relay location is among the second set of network modules, which are associated with a disparate framing media format and a disparate media channel than that of the first set of network modules; and responsive to an affirmative determination that the relay location is among the second set of network modules, the virtual bridging application uses the one or more translation data structures to translate the network packet to the second framing media format before relaying the network packet to the relay location.