Ciena Corporation
Reducing resource requirements for high-frequency counter arrays

Abstract:

Systems and method include receiving counter update requests that are at a maximum frequency of f.sub.counters; sending the counter update requests to a main block of counters that operate at a maximum frequency of f.sub.main, where (f.sub.main).gtoreq.(f.sub.counters)/2; and responsive to a block of the main block of counters experiencing an overflow, sending corresponding counter update requests for the block of the main block of counters experiencing the overflow to a cache counter block that operates at a maximum frequency of f.sub.cache, where (f.sub.main).gtoreq.(f.sub.cache) and (f.sub.cache).gtoreq.(f.sub.counters)-(f.sub.main). The counter update requests can be for Y.times.K total counters, and the main block of counters can include Y blocks of counters each block having K counters, Y and K are positive integers. (f.sub.main).gtoreq.(f.sub.counters)/2 ensures only one block of the main block of counters overflows simultaneously.