US 7,627,684 B2 · Network interface device that can offload data transfer processing for a TCP connection from a host CPU

Abstract

An intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) works with a host computer for data communication. The device provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most messages, greatly accelerating data transfer and offloading time-intensive processing tasks from the host CPU. The host retains a fallback processing capability for messages that do not fit fast-path criteria, with the device providing assistance such as validation even for slow-path messages, and messages being selected for either fast-path or slow-path processing. A context for a connection is defined that allows the device to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The device contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU. A preferred embodiment includes a trio of pipelined processors devoted to transmit, receive and utility processing, providing full duplex communication for four Fast Ethernet nodes.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A network interface device for a host computer, the network interface device comprising:

an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to process a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection, including hardware to update a plurality of variables having values that represent a state of the TCP connection for the host, the TCP connection being at least in part identified by an Internet Protocol (IP) address and TCP port of the host and an IP address and TCP port of a remote host;
and
a mechanism to transfer the state of the TCP connection from the network interface device to the host computer, the mechanism including a data structure representing the state.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/039,703Filed 20 Jan 2005 · continuation

Priority

14 Oct 1997

Published

US 2005/0278459 A115 Dec 2005

Granted

1 Dec 2009

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification34 codes

H04L 47/193
At layers above the network layer: at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
G06F 13/28
For access to input/output bus: using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal
G06F 13/4022
Coupling between buses: using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network
G06F 13/4221
On a parallel bus: being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus

Family

Application60/061,809Us provisional application · filed 14 Oct 1997

Application09/067,544Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Apr 1998

Application60/098,296Us provisional application · filed 27 Aug 1998

Application09/147,713Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Aug 1998

Application09/384,792Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Aug 1999

Application09/464,283Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Dec 1999

Application09/514,425Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Feb 2000

Application10/005,536Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Nov 2001

US 2005/0278459 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Dec 2005

US 7,167,926 B1Parent of this continuation

US 6,434,620 B1Parent of this continuation

US 6,226,680 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

Application09/384,792Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 6,389,479 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 6,427,173 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 6,427,171 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2004/0003126 A1Published application

US 6,052,867 ARelated patent

US 7,627,684 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Network interface device that can offload data transfer processing for a TCP connection from a host CPU

Life of this patent

Network interface device that can offload data transfer processing for a TCP connection from a host CPU

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24