Pipeline Forwarding

Pipeline forwarding (PF) applies to packet forwarding in computer networks the basic concept of pipelining, which has been widely and successfully used in computing — specifically, in the architecture of all major central processing units (CPUs) — and manufacturing — specifically in assembly lines of various industries starting from automotive to many others. Pipelining is known to be optimal independent of the specific instantiation. In particular, PF is optimal from various points of view:

1. High efficiency in utilization of network resources, which enables accommodating a larger amount of traffic on the network, thus lowering operation cost and being the foundation for accommodating the exponential growth of modern networks.
2. Low implementation complexity, which enables the realization of larger and more powerful networking systems at low cost, thus offering further support to network growth.
3. High scalability, which is an immediate consequence of the above two features.
4. Deterministic and predictable operation with minimum delay and no packet loss even under full load condition, which is key in supporting the demanding requirements of the new and valuable services that are being deployed, or envisioned to be deployed, on modern networks, such as telephony, videoconferencing, virtual presence, video on demand, distributed gaming.

Various aspects of the technology are covered by several patents issued by both the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office.