System and method for facilitating dynamic command management in a network interface controller (NIC)

A computer system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a host device storing a command queue;
• a network interface controller (NIC) maintaining an internal buffer corresponding to the command queue;
• and
• a storage device storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
• setting a first operating mode for processing commands issued by the host device and communicated to the NIC, the first operating mode comprising processing the commands via a first command path in which the NIC reads a respective command from a command queue maintained in a memory of the host device;
• obtaining statistics associated with usage of the internal buffer;
• in response to the statistics indicating available capacity in the internal buffer or in response to the command queue being empty, switching from the first operating mode to a second operating mode,
• the second operating mode comprising processing the commands via a second command path in which the host device writes the respective command to an internal buffer maintained by the NIC and corresponding to the command queue;
• storing, in the command queue, a command received from an application;
• and
• in response to the second operating mode being set, writing the command into the internal buffer maintained by the NIC without advancing a write pointer of the command queue.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions to:

• set a first operating mode for processing commands in a computer system including a host device and a network interface controller (NIC),
• wherein the first operating mode comprises processing the commands via a read-based command path in which the NIC reads a respective command from a command queue maintained in a memory of the host device;
• determine whether the command queue in the host device is empty;
• in response to determining that the command queue is empty or in response to determining that there is available capacity in an internal buffer which corresponds to the command queue, switch from the first operating mode to a second operating mode,
• wherein the second operating mode comprises processing the commands via a write-based command path in which the host device writes the respective command to the internal buffer maintained by the NIC and corresponding to the command queue;
• store, in the command queue, a command received from an application;
• and
• in response to the second operating mode being set, write the command into the internal buffer maintained by the NIC without advancing a write pointer of the command queue.