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IXP400 Software
Access-Layer Components: Ethernet Database (IxEthDB) API
April 2005 IXP400 Software Version 2.0 Programmer’s Guide
178 Document Number: 252539, Revision: 007
10.4.3 Feature Set
IxEthDB is structured in a feature set, which can be enabled, disabled and configured at run time.
Since IxEthDB provides support for NPE features, the feature set presented to client code at any
one time depends on the run-time configuration of the NPEs. IxEthDB can detect the capabilities of
each NPE microcode image and expose only those features supported by that image.
The API can be used to enable or disable individual IxEthDB services on each NPE, assuming that
an NPE has a given capability. For example, NPE A, NPE B and NPE C may all have microcode
images with Ethernet Learning and Ethernet Filtering support. Using ixEthDBFeatureEnable(), the
Ethernet Filtering capability could be disabled on NPE C.
Certain features are always functional and cannot be actually disabled. In these situations disabling
the feature will cause its corresponding API to become inaccessible (returning
IX_ETH_DB_FEATURE_UNAVAILABLE), and the feature will be configured in such a way that
the NPE behaves as if the feature is not implemented.
Note: Ethernet Learning and Ethernet Filtering features are ENABLED by default when those
capabilities are detected on NPE microcode. All remaining features are disabled by default.
10.4.4 Additional Database Features
10.4.4.1 User-Defined Field
IxEthDB provides functions to associate a user-defined field to a database record, and later retrieve
the value of that field. The user-defined field is passed as a (void *) parameter, hence it can be used
for any purpose (such as identifying a structure). Retrieving the user-defined field from a record is
Table 34. IxEthDB Feature Set
Feature Description Required NPE Capabilities
Relation to Other
Features
Ethernet Learning
(Source MAC Address
Learning)
Implements a software database on
the Intel XScale core for storing and
managing (searching, aging, etc.)
source MAC addresses detected
on received packets.
NPE Learning Assistance
feature is optional. Needed for
automated population of
database by IxEthAcc.
None
Ethernet Filtering
(Destination MAC
Address Filtering)
Provides Ethernet NPEs with MAC
address data (learning/filtering
trees) used to filter frames
depending on frame destination
MAC address.
NPE Learning Assistance and
Filtering capabilities
Depends on Ethernet
Learning. Mutually
exclusive with 802.3/
802.11 Frame Conversion.
VLAN / QoS Configures VLAN and QoS support. NPE VLAN and QoS support. None
Firewall (Source MAC
Address Based)
Configures NPE firewall mode and
provides MAC address list for
allowing/blocking.
NPE MAC-based Firewall None
802.3 / 802.11 Frame
Conversion
Configures NPE MAC address
database, gateway access point
database and frame conversion
parameters.
NPE 802.3 / 802.11 Frame
Conversion
Mutually exclusive with
Ethernet Filtering
Spanning Tree Protocol
Sets Ethernet ports in blocked/
unblocked STP state.
NPE STP support None