US 12,003,608 B2
System and method for repurposing layer 2 switch as a layer 1 switch
Larry Cantwell, Moorestown, NJ (US); Diego Warszawski, Cherry Hill, NJ (US); and David L. Sclarsky, Cherry Hill, NJ (US)
Assigned to Netscout Systems, Inc., Westford, MA (US)
Filed by NetScout Systems, Inc., Westford, MA (US)
Filed on Jan. 31, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/589,327.
Application 17/589,327 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/509,722, filed on Jul. 12, 2019, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/697,173, filed on Jul. 12, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0159101 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 12/28 (2006.01); H04L 69/08 (2022.01); H04L 69/321 (2022.01); H04L 69/323 (2022.01); H04L 69/324 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 69/08 (2013.01) [H04L 69/321 (2013.01); H04L 69/323 (2013.01); H04L 69/324 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for repurposing one or more software configurable layer 2 switches in an IP (Internet Protocol) computer network to function as a layer 1 switch comprising:
reconfiguring Ternary Content-Addressable Memory (TCAM) in each of the one or more layer 2 switches;
routing one or more pipeline engines to emulate layer 1 switching functionality in each of the one or more layer 2 switches;
disabling forwarding functionality to decrease latency in each of the one or more layer 2 switches;
enabling Small Form-Factor Pluggable Ports (SFPs) for Transmission (TX) and Reception (RX) in each of the one or more layer 2 switches;
creating a multicast group such that a Port.2 is added to the created multicast group in each of the one or more layer 2 switches; and
providing an Access Control List (ACL) rule wherein when a condition is input Port.1 an action is to redirect to the created multicast group in each of the one or more layer 2 switches.