US 6,633,941 B2 · Reduced networking interrupts

Abstract

An apparatus and method for reducing operating system interrupts by queuing incoming network traffic units received by a network interface, where said units are received without interrupting a host environment on receiving queued units. However, if a predetermined number of received units have a same origin, then the host environment is interrupted as subsequent network traffic units are received by the network interface, until a predetermined number of network traffic units are subsequently received from a different origin. Notwithstanding queuing incoming network traffic units, the host environment is interrupted on expiration of a timeout period, or if a predetermined number of units have been queued.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for reducing interrupting a host processor on receipt of network traffic units, said interrupting directing the host to process received network traffic units, the method comprising:

queuing first network traffic units without interrupting the host processor;
monitoring source-addresses of the network traffic units to at least determine the origin of each unit of the network traffic units;
and
if plural units of the first network traffic units have a same origin, then interrupting the host processor to process the queued first network traffic units, and interrupting the host processor for each immediately following and consecutively received network traffic unit from the same origin.

1 more element

An article comprising a machine-accessible media having associated data for reducing interrupting a host processor on receipt of network traffic units, said interrupting directing the host to process received network traffic units, wherein the data, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

queuing first network traffic units without interrupting the host processor;
monitoring source-addresses of the network traffic units to at least determine the origin of each unit of the network traffic units;
and
if plural units of the first network traffic units have a same origin, then interrupting the host processor to process the queued first network traffic units, and interrupting the host processor for each immediately following and consecutively received network traffic unit from the same origin.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Reduced networking interrupts

Life of this patent

Reduced networking interrupts

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14