DRES: Dynamic Range Encoding Scheme for TCAM Coprocessors

One of the most critical resource management issues in the use of ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) for packet classification/filtering is how to effectively support filtering rules with ranges, known as range matching. In this paper, the dynamic range encoding scheme (DRES) is proposed to significantly improve the TCAM storage efficiency for range matching. Unlike the existing range encoding schemes requiring additional hardware support, DRES uses the TCAM coprocessor itself to assist range encoding. Hence, DRES can be readily programmed in a network processor using a TCAM coprocessor for packet classification. A salient feature of DRES is its ability to allow a subset of ranges to be encoded and, hence, to have full control over the range code size. This advantage allows DRES to exploit the TCAM structure to maximize the TCAM storage efficiency. DRES is a comprehensive solution, including a dynamic range selection algorithm, a search key encoding scheme, a range encoding scheme, and a dynamic encoded range update algorithm. Although the dynamic range selection algorithm running in the software allows optimal selection of ranges to be encoded to fully utilize the TCAM storage, the dynamic encoded range update algorithm allows the TCAM database to be updated lock free without interrupting the TCAM database lookup process. DRES is evaluated based on real-world databases and the results show that DRES can reduce the TCAM storage expansion ratio from 6.20 to 1.23. The performance analysis of DRES based on a probabilistic model demonstrates that DRES significantly improves the TCAM storage efficiency for a wide spectrum of range distributions.

[1]  Bin Liu,et al.  TCAM-based distributed parallel packet classification algorithm with range-matching solution , 2005, Proceedings IEEE 24th Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies..

[2]  Antonius P. J. Engbersen,et al.  Dynamic multi-field packet classification , 2002, Global Telecommunications Conference, 2002. GLOBECOM '02. IEEE.

[3]  T. V. Lakshman,et al.  High-speed policy-based packet forwarding using efficient multi-dimensional range matching , 1998, SIGCOMM '98.

[4]  Venkatachary Srinivasan,et al.  Packet classification using tuple space search , 1999, SIGCOMM '99.

[5]  Anja Feldmann,et al.  Tradeoffs for packet classification , 2000, Proceedings IEEE INFOCOM 2000. Conference on Computer Communications. Nineteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies (Cat. No.00CH37064).

[6]  Mohan Kumar,et al.  CoPTUA: Consistent Policy Table Update Algorithm for TCAM without locking , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[7]  Jonathan S. Turner,et al.  Packet classification using extended TCAMs , 2003, 11th IEEE International Conference on Network Protocols, 2003. Proceedings..

[8]  Anand Rangarajan,et al.  Algorithms for advanced packet classification with ternary CAMs , 2005, SIGCOMM '05.

[9]  Bernhard Plattner,et al.  Scalable high-speed prefix matching , 2001, TOCS.

[10]  Bin Liu,et al.  A TCAM-based distributed parallel IP lookup scheme and performance analysis , 2006, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking.

[11]  George Varghese,et al.  Scalable packet classification , 2001, SIGCOMM 2001.

[12]  George Varghese,et al.  Fast and scalable layer four switching , 1998, SIGCOMM '98.

[13]  George Varghese,et al.  Scalable packet classification , 2001, SIGCOMM '01.

[14]  Nick McKeown,et al.  Packet classification on multiple fields , 1999, SIGCOMM '99.

[15]  Bin Liu,et al.  DPPC-RE: TCAM-based distributed parallel packet classification with range encoding , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[16]  Nick McKeown,et al.  Algorithms for packet classification , 2001, IEEE Netw..

[17]  Li Fan,et al.  Web caching and Zipf-like distributions: evidence and implications , 1999, IEEE INFOCOM '99. Conference on Computer Communications. Proceedings. Eighteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. The Future is Now (Cat. No.99CH36320).

[18]  Pankaj Gupta,et al.  Packet Classification using Hierarchical Intelligent Cuttings , 1999 .

[19]  Yong Wang,et al.  A rule grouping technique for weight-based TCAM coprocessors [packet classification application] , 2003, 11th Symposium on High Performance Interconnects, 2003. Proceedings..

[20]  Huan Liu,et al.  Efficient mapping of range classifier into ternary-CAM , 2002, Proceedings 10th Symposium on High Performance Interconnects.

[21]  Bin Liu,et al.  An ultra high throughput and power efficient TCAM-based IP lookup engine , 2004, IEEE INFOCOM 2004.

[22]  Antonius P. J. Engbersen,et al.  Fast and scalable packet classification , 2003, IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun..

[23]  Michael E. Kounavis,et al.  Directions in Packet Classification for Network Processors , 2004 .