Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Switching a message which includes an address header
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-17
2002-04-23
Yao, Kwang B. (Department: 2664)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Switching a message which includes an address header
C370S428000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06377584
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transmission equipment for transmitting frame through a network via a plurality of I/O physical ports as well as to a load-distribution transmitting method in the transmission equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, when a band required for frame transmission can not sufficiently be insured because of only one transfer path (physical port) provided between transmission equipments, there has been employed a method for providing a plurality of transfer paths between transmission equipments, dividing information thereinto, and transmitting the divided information; namely a load-distribution transmitting method.
FIG. 49
is a block diagram showing configuration of a transmission equipment employing a load-distribution transmitting method based on the conventional technology. A transmission equipment
30
shown in
FIG. 49
comprises frame receiving sections
31
-
0
to
31
-
10
, frame transmitting sections
32
-
0
to
32
-
10
, a switching section
33
, a path deciding section
34
, an output physical port deciding section
35
, a load distribution table section
36
, a load distribution table selecting section
37
, an entry pointer table
38
, and an entry pointer increment section
39
.
Each of the frame receiving sections
31
-
0
to
31
-
10
receives a frame from a network connected thereto, and processes the received frame to a frame format in which the frame can be handled in the equipment. Each of those frame receiving sections
31
-
0
to
31
-
10
sends out a received frame to the switching section
33
respectively. Each of the frame transmitting sections
32
-
0
to
32
-
10
processes a transmitting frame to a format in which the transmitting frame can be outputted to a network connected thereto and sends the processed frame to the network. Here is shown an example of that 11 units of input physical port as well as of output physical port each at reference numerals #
0
to #
10
are provided in each of the frame transmitting sections.
The frame transmitting sections
32
-
0
to
32
-
7
correspond to output physical ports #
0
to #
7
respectively, and a bundle of the ports (grouping) is defined as a logical port #
0
. Also, the frame transmitting sections
32
-
8
and
32
-
9
correspond to output physical ports #
8
and #
9
respectively, and a bundle of the ports (grouping) is defined as a logical port #
1
. The frame transmitting section
32
-
10
corresponds to an output physical port #
10
, which is defined as a logical port #
2
.
The switching section
33
executes processing for switching to transmit a received frame from any frame receiving section having received the frame to any frame transmitting section corresponding to the output physical port number decided by the output physical port deciding section
35
. The path deciding section
34
receives the received frame from the switching section
33
, decides a path from the destination according to the received frame, and decides an output logical port corresponding to the path. This output logical port is used herein for defining a plurality of transfer paths which are discharging paths as a bundle thereof (grouping).
The output physical port deciding section
35
looks up any load distribution table selected from the load distribution table section
36
by the load distribution table selecting section
37
and decides an output physical port. The load distribution table section
36
is a group of tables in each of which one unit of load distribution table for controlling a correlation of an output physical port (zero unit, one unit or a plurality units) to an output logical port is allocated to each output logical port. Herein, load distribution tables
36
-
0
(#
0
) to
36
-
2
(#
2
) are prepared for the output logical ports #
0
to #
2
respectively.
The load distribution table selecting section
37
selects a load distribution table for deciding an output physical port from the load distribution table section
36
according to an output logical port number decided by the path deciding section
34
. The entry pointer table
38
is a table in which an entry pointer for identifying a position of which load distribution table of the load distribution table section
36
is to be looked up is correlated to each of the load distribution tables
36
-
0
to
36
-
10
respectively.
The entry pointer increment section
39
increments, after any load distribution table is looked up, a current entry pointer in the entry pointer table
38
by one for looking up the load distribution table at the next time.
Next description is made for the operations.
FIG. 50
is a simulated view for explaining a load-distribution transmitting method in the normal operation of the equipment according to the example based on the conventional,
FIG. 51
is a view for explaining a method of changing an output physical port in the condition shown in
FIG. 50
, and
FIG. 52
is a flow chart for explaining a sequence of load-distribution transmission according to the example based on the conventional technology.
FIG. 50
shows a grouping in the logical port #
0
assuming that the transmission equipment
30
and a transmission equipment P as a partner connected thereto via a network are connected to each other with, for example, the same physical port numbers. Description is made hereinafter for a case where a frame is received in the physical port #
0
.
When a frame is received by the transmission equipment
30
(Frame receiving section
31
-
0
: Physical port #
0
) from a network (step S
61
), the received frame is sent from the frame receiving section
31
-
0
to the path deciding section
34
via the switching section
33
. It is assumed herein that the frame received from the network is transmitted by the transmission equipment
30
and transmitted to the transmission equipment P as a partner.
When the received frame is sent to the path deciding section
34
, a destination is decided in the path deciding section
34
according to the destination information stored in the received frame, and a logical port number to which information for the received frame is to be outputted is decided according to the destination (step S
62
). The output logical port number decided by this path deciding section
34
is sent to the output physical port deciding section
35
.
The output physical port deciding section
35
executes processing for supplying the output logical port number received from the path deciding section
34
to the load distribution table selecting section
37
, and obtaining a load distribution table number to be selected as a response from the load distribution table selecting section
37
. At this point of time, the load distribution table selecting section
37
selects, according to the received output logical port number, a load distribution table number corresponding thereto, and responds the load distribution table number to the output physical port deciding section
35
.
When the load distribution table number is acquired by the output physical port deciding section
35
as described above, actual selection of the load distribution table is executed by the output physical port deciding section
35
(step S
63
). Namely, the load distribution table having the load distribution table number is accessed by the output physical port deciding section
35
through the load distribution table section
36
. In this example, as a frame is received by the logical port #
0
, the load distribution table
36
-
0
(#
0
) is selected.
Then, in the output physical port deciding section
35
, an entry pointer is looked up through the entry pointer table
38
(step S
64
), and a table entry to be looked up in the load distribution table is specified according to the entry pointer. The output physical port deciding section
35
decides an output physical port by looking up this specified table entry (step S
65
).
When the output physical port is decided as described above, a transmitting f
Chugo Akira
Kano Shinya
Kurokawa Yasushi
Sawada Takashi
Fujitsu Limited
Staas & Halsey , LLP
Yao Kwang B.
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