High-performance IP service node with layer 4 to 7 packet processing features

In this paper, we propose an IP service node that provides sophisticated, h igh-performance IP packet control features. The proposed node processes not only layer 3 IP packets but also those of layers 4 to 7 in the OSI (Open S ystems Interconnection) reference model. It can control application-oriente d network services such as URL (Uniform Resource Locaters) based server loa d balancing, contents routing, and end-to-end QoS (Quality of Service) mana gement, and it will play an important role in creating anew infrastructure in the mature IP age. An IP service node architecture closely connected to a high-speed packet processing engine and software-based server functions w ithin the IP service node itself are discussed. An experimental system has been developed, and the proposed architecture was evaluated with a server l oad balancing application. We confirmed that the IP packet control function s work well and that the transfer speed is constant at about 800 k packets/ s, which is about 10 times that of a conventional server based on a general processor.