Techniques for connecting an external network coprocessor to a network processor packet parser

摘要

A network processor includes first communication protocol ports that each support ‘M’ minimum size packet data path traffic on ‘N’ lanes at ‘S’ Gigabits per second (Gbps) and traffic with different communication protocol units on ‘n’ additional lanes at ‘s’ Gbps. The first communication protocol ports support access to an external coprocessor using parsing logic located in each of the first communication protocol ports. The parsing logic, during a parsing period, is configured to send a request to the external coprocessor at reception of a ‘M’ size packet and to receive a response from the external coprocessor. The parsing logic sends a request maximum ‘m’ size byte word to the external coprocessor on one of the additional lanes and receives a response maximum ‘m’ size byte word from the external coprocessor on the one of the additional lanes while complying with the equation N×S/M=

主权项

1. A method in a network processor that includes first communication protocol ports that each support ‘M’ minimum size packet data path traffic on ‘N’ lanes at ‘S’ Gigabits per second (Gbps) and that support traffic with different communication protocol units in the network processor on ‘n’ additional lanes at ‘s’ Gbps for using the first communication protocol ports to support access to an external coprocessor by parsing logic located in each of the first communication protocol ports which, during a parsing period, sends a request to the external coprocessor at reception of a ‘M’ size packet and receives a response from the external coprocessor, the method comprising:
sending, by the parsing logic, a request for a maximum ‘m’ size byte word to the external coprocessor on one of the additional lanes at ‘s’ Gbps; receiving a response having a maximum ‘m’ size byte word from the external coprocessor on the one of the additional lanes at ‘s’ Gbps while complying with the equation N×S/M=