Parallel layer 2 and layer 3 processing components in a network router

摘要

A packet header processing engine includes a level 2 (L2) header generation unit and a level 3 (L3) header generation unit. The L2 and L3 header generation units are implemented in parallel with one another. The L2 generation unit writes L2 header information to a first buffer and the L3 generation unit writes L3 header information to a second buffer. When both the L2 and L3 generation units complete their operations for a particular packet, a build component combines the generated L2 and L3 header information from the buffers to form a complete packet header.