Apparatus and method of crosschecking data copies using one or more voter elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11729115-B2
Application number	US-202117202181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2021
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A network switch includes a receive port configured to receive data and two or more parallel first paths each configured to receive a first copy of the data, perform a check on the first copy, and generate a protection for the first copy. One or more first voter elements are configured to receive second copies of the data and to crosscheck the second copies. A processing section is configured to process one or more of the second copies. Two or more parallel second paths are each configured to receive a third copy of the data and perform multiple checks on the third copy including a check based on the protection. One or more second voter elements are configured to receive fourth copies of the data and to crosscheck the fourth copies. A send port is configured to send one or more of the fourth copies to a next network element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network switch device comprising:
a receive port configured to receive data;
two or more parallel paths coupled to the receive port, each of the two or more parallel paths configured to receive a first copy of the data from the receive port, and perform a check on the first copy of the data;
a frame filter configured to apply a size constraint to the two or more parallel paths;

a frame policing element configured to apply a bandwidth constraint to the two or more parallel paths;
one or more voter elements configured to:
receive second copies of the data from the two or more parallel paths;
crosscheck the second copies of the data;
validate one or more of the second copies of the data by the following: comparing timestamps of the second copies of the data from the two or more parallel paths and that the second copies satisfy the size constraint and the bandwidth constraint; and

a send port configured to:
receive at least one copy of the second copies that is determined to be valid; and
send the at least one copy to a next network element responsive to the one or more voter elements.

2. The network switch device of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more parallel paths comprises:
a timestamp element configured to apply a timestamp to the first copy of the data; and
an error detection generation element configured to generate a protection, wherein the protection comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) data based on the first copy of the data and the timestamp to verify integrity during the validating.

3. The network switch device of claim 1 , further comprising a processing section configured to embed routing information with valid data and to store the valid data with the embedded routing information.

4. The network switch device of claim 3 , wherein the processing section comprises a switch fabric.

5. The network switch device of claim 3 , wherein the processing section is further configured to route the data and to store the data.

6. The network switch device of claim 1 , wherein the two or more parallel paths are configured to generate a protection for the first copy of the data.

7. The network switch device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a timestamp element configured to apply a timestamp to the first second copy of the data; and
an error detection generation element configured to generate the protection, wherein the protection comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) data based on the first second copy of the data and the timestamp to verify integrity during the validating.

8. The network switch device of claim 7 , wherein the one or more voter elements are further configured to validate one or more of the second copies of the data at least partially based on the CRC data.

9. The network switch device of claim 1 , wherein the receive port is configured to receive the data from a sending network element, and wherein the send port is configured to forward the data to the next network element.

10. A method of operating a network switch that comprises a receive port and a send port, the method comprising:
receiving data via the receive port;
providing a first copy of the data to two or more parallel paths of the network switch between the receive port and the send port;
at each of the two or more parallel paths, performing a check on the first copy of the data;
applying a size constraint to the two or more parallel paths;
applying a bandwidth constraint to the two or more parallel paths;
crosschecking, at the network switch, second copies of the data received from the two or more parallel paths;
indicating that at least two copies of the second copies match each other and are valid based at least on comparing timestamps of the second copies of the data from the two or more parallel paths and that the second copies satisfy the size constraint and the bandwidth constraint; and
sending, from the network switch, one or more of the at least two copies of the data, via the send port, to a next network element.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising processing valid data by generating and embedding routing information with the valid data.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein processing the valid data is performed at a single processing section of the network switch.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating a protection for the first second copy of the data by the two or more parallel paths.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein generating the protection comprises generating cyclic redundancy check (CRC) data.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
prior to sending one or more of the at least two copies of the second copies of the data to the next network element:
providing third copies of the data to one or more parallel second paths of the network switch;
at each second path of the one or more parallel second paths, performing multiple checks on a third copy of the data, the multiple checks comprising a check based on the protection; and
crosschecking, at the network switch, fourth copies of the data received from the one or more parallel second paths.

16. A system comprising:
a sending network element;
a next network element; and
network switch device comprising:
a receive port configured to receive data from the
sending network element;
two or more parallel paths coupled to the receive port, each of the two or more parallel paths configured to receive a first copy of the data from the receive port, and perform a check on the first copy of the data;
a frame filter configured to apply a size constraint to the two or more parallel paths;
a frame policing element configured to apply a bandwidth constraint to the two or more parallel paths;
one or more voter elements configured to:
receive second copies of the data from the two or more parallel paths;
crosscheck the second copies of the data;
validate one or more of the second copies of the data by the following: comparing timestamps of the second copies of the data from the two or more parallel paths and that the second copies satisfy the size constraint and the bandwidth constraint; and

a send port configured to:
receive at least one copy of the second copies that is determined to be valid; and
send the at least one copy to the next network element responsive to the one or more voter elements.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein each of the two or more parallel paths comprises:
a timestamp element configured to apply a timestamp to the first copy of the data; and
an error detection generation element configured to generate a protection, wherein the protection comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) data based on the first copy of the data and the timestamp to verify integrity during the validating.

18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a processing section configured to embed routing information with valid data and to store the valid data with the embedded routing information.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the two or more parallel paths are configured to generate a protection for the first copy of the data.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising:
a timestamp element configured to apply a timestamp to the second copy of the data; and
an error detection generation element configured to generate the protection, wherein the protection comprises cyclic redundancy check (CRC) data based on the second copy of the data and the timestamp to verify integrity during the validating.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Le Tu Q
• Ramey Sean
• Yin Christina Joy
• Ching Lawrence Yiuming

Classifications

• H04L49/25 Primary

  Routing or path finding in a switch fabric · CPC title

• G06F11/1004

  to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum (G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00) · CPC title

• H04L49/555

  Error detection · CPC title

• H04L49/10 Primary

  characterised by the switching fabric construction · CPC title

• H04L49/35 Primary

  Switches specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title