公开(公告)号：GB2498643A

公开(公告)日：2013-07-24

申请号：GB201300234

申请日：2013-01-08

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： ANGST DEBRA LYNN ,  CORS JOSEP ,  VAIDHYANATHAN NATARAJAN ,  MUNDHRA REKHA ,  BASSO CLAUDE

IPC: H04L12/46 ,  H04L45/16 ,  H04L45/02

Abstract: In a distributed switch (110, fig .1) having an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) or Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) snooper 208 with a Global Forwarding Table 209, multicast entries to the table trigger a timer (506, fig. 5) after which their hit status (524, 528) is checked to determine whether a switch forwarding unit (eg. 220) has forwarded the multicast data to the host membership of the multicast destination address 222, and the entry cast out of the table if not. This prevents unnecessary filling of the table and flooding of the network with multicasts. Each forwarding unit may also generate a miss event (314 eg. an interrupt) when it has a need to know the multicast membership information of a multicast destination address.

公开(公告)号：GB2498643B

公开(公告)日：2014-08-27

申请号：GB201300234

申请日：2013-01-08

Applicant: IBM

Inventor： ANGST DEBRA LYNN ,  CORS JOSEP ,  VAIDHYANATHAN NATARAJAN ,  MUNDHRA REKHA ,  BASSO CLAUDE

IPC: H04L12/46 ,  H04L45/16 ,  H04L45/02

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods to manage a global forwarding table in a distributed switch are provided. A particular method may include managing a global forwarding table in a distributed switch. The distributed switch may include a plurality of switch forwarding units. The method may start a timer for an entry in the global forwarding table, and the entry may include a multicast destination address and corresponding multicast membership information. The method may also, in response to expiration of the timer of the entry, check at least one hit status to determine whether at least one switch forwarding unit of the plurality of switch forwarding units has forwarded multicast data to the corresponding multicast membership information of the multicast destination address of the entry. The method may further determine whether the entry is a cast-out candidate based on the hit status.