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Document ID: PMC-2010146, Issue 4
67
PM2329 ClassiPI Network Classification Processor Datasheet
Operation Cycle (OC)
The PSE performs Operation Cycles (referred to throughout this data book as OCs) on packets in the order
that their field extraction is complete. The processing of any one search using one key constitutes a single
OC. As there could be multiple keys extracted from a packet, and as each key can be subjected to multiple
searches, a packet can utilize many OCs for full processing.
An OC is complete when the key is compared against a specific rule, and the results are queued in the
Results FIFO. The time duration of an OC depends therefore on the availability of space in the Results
FIFO; if the OC must wait for space, it remains active until space is available.
OC Sequencing
The order in which searches are performed for a particular key (that is, the order in which OCs execute) is
called OC Sequencing. There are 2 basic types of OC Sequencing: OCC Sequencing and E-RAM
Sequencing. Within each type, sequencing can be Automated or Processor Controlled.
Chapter 5 describes the sequencing modes in detail.
3.4.1 Rule Memory
The Rule Memory can store up to 16,384 rules in on-chip memory. This Rule Memory is composed of cells
arranged into rows and columns. Each rule is stored in a location known as a cell. The PM2329 can
perform multiple and simultaneous data operations on the extracted fields of the input packet and the
specified set of rules (cells) in the Rule Memory.
Refer to Chapter 5 for a description of the rules and OC sequencing.
3.4.2 Cell Organization
The organization of the cells in the Rule Memory is shown in
Figure 21.
The smallest element is a cell,
which contains a single rule. Rules are grouped into "rule packs" of 16 cells (that is, up to 16 rules) each.
The rule pack represents the smallest number of cells that can participate in any OC. Therefore,
partitioning of rules among different OCs is done in "rule pack" units.
Rule packs themselves are further organized into a two dimensional array consisting of 64 rows and 16
columns. Each row contains 16 rule packs, and each column contains 64 rule packs.
Figure 21
illustrates.
Each cell can be uniquely identified by the row number (0-63) and column number (0-15) of the rule pack,
and finally by its position (0-15) within the rule pack to which it belongs. The cell address is a 14-bit
number where the most significant 6 bits represent its row number, the middle 4 bits indicate its column
number, and the least significant 4 bits describe its position within the rule pack. The unique cell number of
each cell ranges from 0 to 16,383 for a single PM2329 device.