Toe-based network interface device, method of operating the same, and server device including the same

A method of operating a TCP/IP offload engine (TOE)-based network interface device including a plurality of TCP controllers, wherein each of the plurality of TCP controllers includes a first memory, the method comprising:

• storing connection information corresponding to a first event in the first memory of a TCP controller among the plurality of TCP controllers;
• checking whether the first event corresponding to the connection information stored in the first memory occurs during a first time period;
• moving the connection information from the first memory of one of the plurality of TCP controllers to a second memory shared by the plurality of TCP controllers when the first event corresponding to the connection information does not occur for the first time period,
• selecting one of the plurality of TCP controllers when a second event corresponding to the connection information that is moved to the second memory occurs;
• and
• moving the connection information from the second memory to the first memory of the selected one of the plurality of TCP controllers.

A server device comprising:

• a network interface module comprising a TCP/IP hardware stack and a TCP/IP software stack configured to perform a TCP/IP arithmetic operation on a received data packet;
• and
• a host module configured to receive data of the data packet from the network interface module and to process the received data,
• wherein the network interface module comprises:
• an event scheduler configured to generate connection information corresponding to the data packet on a requested event, to perform scheduling on the connection information to output a first control signal, and to determine whether a first event corresponding to the connection information occurs during a first time period;
• a first TCP controller and a second TCP controller, each of the first and second TCP controllers including a first memory and configured to receive the connection information from the event scheduler, to store the connection information in the first memory, and to control an arithmetic operation on the connection information;
• a second memory shared by the first TCP controller and the second TCP controller;
• and
• a memory control logic configured to move the connection information from the first memory to the second memory when the first event corresponding to the connection information does not occur for the first time period, and move the connection information, moved to the second memory, from the second memory to one of the first memory of the first TCP controller or the first memory of the second TCP controller when a second event corresponding to the connection information occurs, in response to the first control signal.