Packet processing device, packet processing method and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016373364-A1
Application number	US-201515122133-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2015
Priority date	Mar 4, 2014
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A packet processing device includes: a storage unit that holds an action table including actions that define processing contents of packets and a rule table including rules to search for actions to be applied to packets; a rule control unit that updates rules included in the rule table; and a packet processing unit that searches the action table for an action to be applied to a received packet using the rule table, processes the packet in accordance with the searched action, and accumulates a pointer with respect to the searched action, wherein the packet processing unit determines whether the rule table has been updated by the rule control unit after accumulation of the pointer and, if not updated, extracts an action to be applied to a received packet from the action table in accordance with the accumulated pointer.

First claim

1 . A packet processing device comprising:
a storage unit that holds an action table including actions that define processing contents of packets and a rule table including rules to search for actions to be applied to packets; a rule control unit that updates rules included in the rule table; and a packet processing unit that searches the action table for an action to be applied to a received packet using the rule table, processes the packet in accordance with the searched action, and accumulates a pointer with respect to the searched action, wherein the packet processing unit determines whether the rule table has been updated by the rule control unit after accumulation of the pointer and, if not updated, extracts an action to be applied to a received packet from the action table in accordance with the accumulated pointer.

2 . The packet processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the rule control unit records, when updating rules included in the rule table, an identifier for identifying the update in the storage unit, and the packet processing unit holds, when accumulating the pointer, an identifier recorded in the storage unit.

3 . The packet processing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the packet processing unit compares the held identifier with the identifier recorded in the storage unit by the rule control unit, and thereby determines whether the rule table has been updated by the rule control unit after accumulation of the pointer.

4 . The packet processing device according to claim 2 , wherein
the packet processing unit invalidates the accumulated pointer when the held identifier does not match the identifier recorded in the storage unit by the rule control unit.

5 . The packet processing device according to claim 4 , wherein
the packet processing unit specifies an invalidated pointer among the accumulated pointers at a predetermined timing, and deletes the specified pointer.

6 . The packet processing device according to claim 5 , wherein
the packet processing unit deletes an invalidated pointer among the accumulated pointers at a predetermined period or at a time of invalidation.

7 . The packet processing device according to claim 6 , wherein
the packet processing unit includes:
a flow cache table in which pointers with respect to searched actions are accumulated; and
a flag table in which flags indicating validity of pointers accumulated in the flow cache table, and
when a pointer among the accumulated pointers is invalidated, sets a flag corresponding to the invalidated pointer to invalid in the flag table, and specifies the invalidated pointer by referring to the flag table at the predetermined period.

8 . A packet processing method comprising:
by a computer, holding, in a storage unit, an action table including actions that define processing contents of packets and a rule table including rules to search for actions to be applied to packets; updating rules included in the rule table by a first process; searching, by a second process, the action table for an action to be applied to a received packet using the rule table, processing the packet in accordance with the searched action, and accumulating a pointer with respect to the searched action; and determining, by the second process, whether the rule table has been updated by the first process after accumulation of the pointer and, if not updated, extracting an action to be applied to a received packet from the action table in accordance with the accumulated pointer.

9 . The packet processing method according to claim 8 , wherein
the first process records, when updating rules included in the rule table, an identifier for identifying the update in the storage unit, and the second process holds, when accumulating the pointer, an identifier recorded in the storage unit.

10 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute:
holding, in a storage unit, an action table including actions that define processing contents of packets and a rule table including rules to search for actions to be applied to packets; updating rules included in the rule table by a first process; searching, by a second process, the action table for an action to be applied to a received packet using the rule table, processing the packet in accordance with the searched action, and accumulating a pointer with respect to the searched action; and determining, by the second process, whether the rule table has been updated by the first process after accumulation of the pointer and, if not updated, extracting an action to be applied to a received packet from the action table in accordance with the accumulated pointer.

11 . The packet processing device according to claim 3 , wherein
the packet processing unit invalidates the accumulated pointer when the held identifier does not match the identifier recorded in the storage unit by the rule control unit.

12 . The packet processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the packet processing unit specifies an invalidated pointer among the accumulated pointers at a predetermined timing, and deletes the specified pointer.

13 . The packet processing device according to claim 12 , wherein
the packet processing unit deletes an invalidated pointer among the accumulated pointers at a predetermined period or at a time of invalidation.

14 . The packet processing device according to claim 13 , wherein
the packet processing unit includes:
a flow cache table in which pointers with respect to searched actions are accumulated; and
a flag table in which flags indicating validity of pointers accumulated in the flow cache table, and
when a pointer among the accumulated pointers is invalidated, sets a flag corresponding to the invalidated pointer to invalid in the flag table, and specifies the invalidated pointer by referring to the flag table at the predetermined period.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Yokota Tomohisa

Classifications

• H04L47/2483 Primary

  involving identification of individual flows · CPC title

• H04L47/20

  Traffic policing · CPC title

• H04L12/6418 Primary

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04L49/901

  using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers · CPC title