Interface mapping in a centralized packet processor for a network

摘要

A method for processing packets in a centralized packet processor includes configuring the centralized packet processor to operate as a part of a communication system that includes a plurality of component systems configured to operate as components of the communication system, where each of the plurality of component systems includes a respective set of physical interfaces to provide interfaces to ports associated with other devices on a network, and where each of the plurality of component systems is configured to forward selected packets to an external device via a dedicated physical interface, receiving the selected packets via a plurality of physical ports of the centralized packet processor, generating, for use at the centralized packet processor, a plurality of virtual ports to uniquely identify a plurality of physical interfaces of the component systems, where a quantity of the plurality of virtual ports is larger than a quantity of physical interfaces available at the centralized packet processor, and performing a processing operation on the selected packets at the centralized packet processor using the plurality of virtual ports.

主权项

1. A method for processing packets in a communication system, the method comprising:
configuring a centralized packet processor to operate as a part of the communication system, the communication system including a plurality of component systems, wherein each of the plurality of component systems includes a respective set of physical interfaces to provide interfaces to ports associated with other devices on a network, and wherein each of the plurality of component systems is configured to forward selected packets to the centralized packet processor via a dedicated physical interface; receiving at ones of the physical interfaces of ones of the component systems packets including first packets of a type that is unsupported at the respective component system; directing selected ones of the packets to the dedicated physical interface, including directing the first packets to the dedicated physical interface responsive to determining that the component system does not support the type to which the first packets belong; receiving the selected packets at the centralized packet processor via a plurality of physical ports of the centralized packet processor; generating, for use at the centralized packet processor, a plurality of virtual ports to uniquely identify a plurality of physical interfaces of the component systems, wherein a quantity of the plurality of virtual ports is larger than a quantity of physical interfaces available at the centralized packet processor; and performing a processing operation on the selected packets at the centralized packet processor using the plurality of virtual ports, including processing the first packets according to at least one protocol unsupported at the component system from which the respective packet was directed.