Methods and systems for providing a logical network layer for delivery of input/output data

Abstract

A method for routing input/output (IO) data in a telecommunication system including a network node having a plurality of first integrated circuit (IC) cards, a plurality of second IC cards and a switching fabric, each second IC card connected to a corresponding first IC card in a respective slot of the network node is described. The method involves receiving the IO data at an external port of any of the plurality of first or second IC cards. When packets of the IO data are received at an external port of a given second IC card, the given second IC card performs a packet classification of the packets to at least in part determine a destination for the packets. A further step of the method includes delivering the packets to a first or second IC card destination according to the packet classification performed by the given second IC card via a logical network layer existing on the first and second IC cards and the switching fabric. A particular implementation includes use in an Advanced Telecommunication Computing Architecture (ATCA) system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for routing packet data in a telecommunication network, the system comprising:
 a chassis having a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive a respective pair of circuit cards;   a plurality of pairs of circuit cards, each pair of circuit cards comprising a respective first circuit card and a respective second circuit card for connection to the respective first circuit card; and   a connection fabric configured for interconnecting at least some of the first circuit cards;   the plurality of pairs of circuit cards and the connection fabric being configured to cooperate to provide a logical network layer, the logical network layer being configured:   to perform packet classification for a data packet received from the telecommunication network to determine, at least in part, a destination circuit card for the received data packet; and   to deliver the received packet data to the destination circuit card according to the packet classification.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the destination circuit card is one of the first and second circuit cards. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second circuit cards is configured:
 to receive the data packet from the telecommunication network;   to perform the packet classification on the received data packet to determine, at least in part, the destination circuit card for the received data packet; and   to forward the data packet toward the destination circuit card according to the packet classification via the connection fabric.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the logical network layer comprises a respective network device on each of the first and second circuit cards. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the network devices are configured to perform packet classifications and to deliver data packets toward destination circuit cards according to the packet classifications. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pairs of circuit cards comprises a respective first circuit card and a respective second circuit card connected to the respective first circuit card when the first and second circuit cards are inserted in a respective slot of the plurality of slots. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the respective first circuit card is physically connected to the respective second circuit card when the first and second circuit cards are inserted in a respective slot of the plurality of slots. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one or the respective pairs of circuit cards comprises a respective first circuit card and a respective second circuit card which is logically connected to the respective first circuit card. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the logical network layer is configured:
 to receive data packets; and   to offload the received data packets to an input/output layer.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the input/output layer is configured to process the offloaded data packets. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the input/output layer is configured to offload the received data packets to a processing layer for processing by the processing layer. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the connection fabric comprises a mesh interconnect configured to connect together two or more of the first circuit cards. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the connection fabric comprises a switching fabric. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the switching fabric is implemented on at least one of the first circuit cards. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first circuit cards is configured to implement the connection fabric. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is compliant with an Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) specification. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of second circuit cards is a Rear Transition Module (RTM). 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first circuit cards is an application/service card. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first circuit cards is an input/output connector card. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first circuit cards is a data storage card. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second circuit cards of at least one of the pairs of circuit cards are of a common card type and are configured to use the logical network layer to deliver data packets to at least one first or second circuit card of another pair of the plurality of pairs of circuit cards. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second circuit cards is configured to monitor at least one input/output port on any other of the first and second circuit cards. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the at least one of the second circuit cards is configured to debug the at least input/output port that it monitors. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first and second circuit cards comprises at least one offload device configured to operate in the input/output layer. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one offload device is configured to perform at least one of encryption and decryption. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one offload device is configured to perform at least one of encapsulation and decapsulation. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one offload device is configured to perform deep packet inspection. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one offload device is configured to perform Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one offload device is configured to perform Fiber Channel over Ethernet. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the network devices are compliant with at least one of:
 IEEE 802.1p;   IEEE 802.1Qua;   IEEE 802.1az;   IEEE 802.1bb; and   PCI-E.