Apparatus and method of improving network performance using virtual interfaces
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDwip N. Banerjee, Herman Dietrich Dierks, Jr., Vinit Jain
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Abstract
A method, system and apparatus for improving network performance of a multiprocessor system that has a limited number of physical network interfaces by using virtual IP addresses are provided. When a processor of the multiprocessor system determines that it is processing network data, it uses a virtual IP address to transmit the data. The virtual IP address is associated with a buffer; and thus the data is sent to the buffer. This allows the processor to be free to process other data, network or otherwise. The buffer, with the help of a controller, then contends for the use of one of the limited physical network interfaces to transmit the data.
Claims20
A method of improving performance in a multiprocessor system in which a processor has to contend with other processors for a limited number of physical interfaces to transmit data to a network comprising:
- determining whether data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network;
- associating a virtual Internet protocol (IP) address with a memory device in response to determining that the data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network;
- and
- transmitting the data from the processor of the multiprocessor system using the virtual IP address associated with the memory device as a destination IP address enabling the data to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the memory device, wherein the memory device contends. using a controller, for one of the limited number of physical interfaces to transmit the data to the network.
A computer program product on a computer readable medium for improving performance of a multiprocessor system in which a processor has to contend with other processors for a limited number of physical interfaces to transmit data to a network comprising:
- code means for determining whether data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network;
- code means for associating a virtual Internet protocol (IP) address with a memory device in response to determining that the data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network:
- and
- code means for transmitting the data from the processor of the multiprocessor system using the virtual IP address associated with the memory device as a destination IP address enabling the data to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the memory device, wherein the memory device contends. using a controller, for one of the limited number of physical interfaces to transmit the data to the network.
An apparatus for improving performance of a multiprocessor system in which a processor has to contend with other processors for a limited number of physical interfaces to transmit data to a network comprising:
- means for determining whether data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network;
- means for associating a virtual Internet protocol (IP) address with a memory device in response to determining that the data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network;
- and
- means for transmitting the data from the processor of the multiprocessor system using the virtual IP address associated with the memory device as a destination IP address enabling the data to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the memory device, wherein the memory device contends, using a controller, for one of the limited number of physical interfaces to transmit the data to the network.
A multiprocessor system having means for improving performance for transmitting data to a network using a limited number of physical interfaces for which a processor has to contend with other processors for comprising:
- at least one memory device to store code data;
- and
- using one of the processors for processing the code data to determine whether data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network, to associate a virtual Internet protocol (IP) address with a memory device in response to determining that the data being processed is to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the network, and to transmit the data from the processor of the multiprocessor system using the virtual IP address associated with the memory device as a destination IP address enabling the data to be transmitted from the processor of the multiprocessor system to the memory device, wherein the memory device contends, using a controller, for one of the limited number of physical interfaces to transmit the data to the network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.