SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING DATA PACKETS USING A MULTI-CORE ABSTRACTION LAYER (MCAL)

摘要

System flexibility and ease-of-design is greatly enhanced by using a multicore abstraction layer (MCAL) to interface between a multicore hardware platform, a device operating system and the packet transfer functions of the system. Systems and techniques are described for processing a data packet received at a network interface of a network infrastructure device (such as a wireless switch) or other computing system, particularly using multi-core processors. A classification handler initially classifies the data packet. A plurality of protocol handlers each associated with a data protocol processes the data packet if the classification of the data packet matches the data protocol associated with the protocol handler, and one of several application handlers each associated with a user applications processes the data packet if the classification of the data packet matches the user application associated with the application handler. The MCAL is configured to send the data packet to the classification handler after the packet is initially received, and to subsequently direct the packet toward one of the protocol or application handlers in response to the classification of the data packet. MCAL further contains a set of the containers for handlers. Real application, protocol and classification handlers register with MCAL and are modules developed outside of the MCAL.