US 6,393,483 B1Granted

Method and apparatus for network interface card load balancing and port aggregation

AssigneeAdaptec, Inc.

InventorsFaisal Latif, Pramod Sharma, Suleman Saya, Jim J. Kuhfeld

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for driving a network interface card. The process includes monitoring the status of a plurality of ports connected between a computer and a network. Detecting a failure in one of the plurality of ports connected to the network. Re-assigning data transmitted over the failed one of the plurality of ports to an active port of the plurality of ports selected in a round robin technique. The process further including receiving data over one of the plurality of ports designated as a primary receiving port. Preferably, when the failed one of the plurality of ports is the primary receiving port, the receiving tasks are assigned to a next active port selected in a round robin technique.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A process for driving a network interface card, comprising:

providing a multi-port network interface card on a computer, the multi-port network interface card having at least three ports for connecting the computer to a network, the at least three ports being capable of transmitting data from the computer to the network as transmit ports at the same time to a remote host at an aggregated bandwidth of the at least three ports, a selected port from the at least three ports being capable of receiving data from the network as a primary receiving port, wherein the multi-port network interface card is configured to transmit new data over a selected transmit port while transmitting other data over the other transmit ports at the same time so as to improve load balancing of data from the computer;
initializing each of the at least three ports, the initializing further including,
ascertaining the connection type for the ports, and
scanning the indices of a lookup table to determine if the ports are active;
creating registry groups by selecting ports from the at least three ports;
defining start time-out values to assist in the efficient load balancing of active ports;
monitoring a status of the at least three ports between the computer and the network;
detecting a failure in one of the at least three ports that connect the computer to the network;
upon detecting the failure in one of the ports, re-assigning data to be transmitted over the failed one of the at least three ports to an active port of the at least three ports, the active port being selected in a round robin technique such that data transfer load is automatically redistributed over active ports;
and
receiving data over one of the at least three ports designated as the primary receiving port.

8 more elements

A method for transmitting and receiving data over a network from a server computer system, comprising:

providing a multi-port network interface card on the server computer system, the multi-port network interface card having at least three ports for connecting the server computer system to a network, the at least three ports being capable of transmitting data from the computer as transmit ports at the same time to a remote host at an aggregated bandwidth of the at least three ports, a selected port from the at least three ports being capable of receiving data from the network as a primary receiving port, wherein the multi-port network interface card is configured to transmit new data over a selected transmit port while transmitting other data over the other transmit ports at the same time so as to improve load balancing of data from the computer to the network;
connecting the server computer system with the network through the at least three ports for communicating with a plurality of remote hosts coupled to the network;
transmitting a load of data from the server computer system through the at least three ports to the plurality of remote hosts, the transmitting further including,
retrieving a destination address from the load of data, and
determining whether the destination address is listed in a lookup table;
detecting, by the server computer system, a failure in one of the at least three ports during a transmit to a selected one of the plurality of remote hosts;
and
redistributing, by the server computer system, the load of data assigned to the failed one of the at least three ports to an available port of the plurality of ports, the redistributing further including,
determining if the available port is free by referring to the lookup table.

6 more elements

A computer readable media containing program instructions for driving a multi-port network interface card having at least three ports for connecting a computer system to a network, the computer readable media comprising:

program instructions for monitoring a status of the at least three ports of the multi-port network card that connects the computer to the network, the at least three ports being capable of transmitting data from the computer to the network as transmit ports at the same time to a remote host at an aggregated bandwidth of the at least three ports, a selected port from the at least three ports being capable of receiving data from the network as a primary receiving port, wherein the multi-port network interface card is configured to transmit new data over a selected transmit port while transmitting other data over the other transmit ports at the same time so as to improve load balancing of data from the computer to the network;
program instructions for building a port resolution table indexing connections to at least one remote host that is communicating through a selected one of the at least three ports, the building further including instructions for,
determining whether a host is associated with the port resolution table by referring to a timer parameter;
program instructions for periodically updating the port resolution table after a predetermined time-out;
and
program instructions for performing a link check timer routine, the performing further including instructions for,
determining if a receiver port of the at least three ports is active.

4 more elements

A computer readable media containing program instructions for driving a network interface card having at least three ports for connecting a computer system to a network, comprising:

program instructions for monitoring a status of the at least three ports of the network interface card connected between the computer and the network, the at least three ports being capable of transmitting data from the computer to the network as transmit ports at the same time to a remote host at an aggregated bandwidth of the at least three ports, a selected port from the at least three ports being capable of receiving data from the network as a primary receiving port, wherein the multi-port network interface card is configured to transmit new data over a selected transmit port while transmitting other data over the other transmit ports at the same time so as to improve load balancing of data from the computer to the network;
program instructions for initializing each of the at least three ports, the initializing further including instructions for,
ascertaining the connection type for the ports, and
scanning the indices of a lookup table to determine if the ports are active;
program instructions for detecting a failure in one of the at least three ports that connect the computer system to the network;
program instructions for re-assigning data transmitted over the failed one of the at least three ports to an active port of the at least three ports selected in a round robin technique such that data transfer load is automatically redistributed over active ports;
and
program instructions for receiving data over one of the at least three ports designated as a primary receiving port.

5 more elements

An apparatus for driving a network interface card having at least three ports for connecting a computer system to a network, the apparatus comprising:

means for monitoring the status of the at least three ports connected between the computer and the network, the at least three ports being capable of transmitting data from the computer to the network as transmit ports at the same time to a remote host at an aggregated bandwidth of the at least three ports, a selected port from the at least three ports being capable of receiving data from the network as a primary receiving port, wherein the multi-port network interface card is configured to transmit new data over a selected transmit port while transmitting other data over the other transmit ports at the same time so as to improve load balancing of data from the computer to the network;
means for initializing each of the at least three ports, the initializing means further including,
means for ascertaining the connection type for the ports, and
means for scanning the indices of a lookup table to determine if the ports are active;
means for detecting a failure in one of the at least three ports connected to the network;
means for re-assigning data transmitted over the failed one of the at least three ports to an active port of the at least three ports selected in a round robin technique such that data transfer load is automatically redistributed over active ports;
and
means for receiving data over one of the at least three ports designated as a primary receiving port.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.