A popularity-based caching strategy for improved efficiency in SVRF-based multicast control-planes

Abstract

The packet forwarding engine (PFE), a vital component of high-performance switches and routers, plays a pivotal role in rapidly selecting the appropriate output port for tens of thousands of packets. The performance of the PFE hinges on the efficacy of the group membership algorithm. In this research, we present a hybrid approach called caching scalar-pair and vectors routing and forwarding (CSVRF), which comprises virtual output port bitmap caching (VOPBC) and fractional-N SVRF, designed to address significant multicast forwarding challenges such as scalability. We achieve this through the implementation of content address memory (CAM). Within the CSVRF framework, we introduce an innovative virtual output port bitmap cache table, which encompasses the most frequently occurring combinations of output port bitmaps (OPB). Furthermore, we divide the larger scalar-pair into N subgroups to enhance the reusability of prime resources. We validate our findings using Matlab-based mathematical models and simulations. Our results demonstrate significant decreases in both memory space usage and forwarding latency. Our approach assures minimized memory consumption, faster processing, and robust scalability in high port-density settings.