Utilization of TCP segmentation offload with jumbo and non-jumbo networks
AssigneeF5 Networks, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey Michael Warren, Peter Michael Thornewell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A traffic management device (TMD) is situated between a one or more network devices providing jumbo network traffic and one or more device providing non-jumbo network traffic. The TMD is configured to employ TCP segmentation offload hardware within a Network Interface Card (NIC) at the level two/four layers of the OSI stack by rewriting maximum segment size (MSS) information during initial handshake operations, such that jumbo frames may be split into digestible size frames for a non-jumbo network communications.
Claims22
A traffic management device (TMD) interposed between a first computing device and a second computing device, comprising:
- a transceiver to send and receive data over a network;
- and
- one or more physical devices operative to perform actions comprising:
- receiving within a synchronization (SYN) handshake message from the first computing device a packet at layer 3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model indicating that a communication from the first computing device is using non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model, based on a maximum segment size (MSS) value;
- rewriting the MSS value within the SYN handshake message to increase the MSS value to indicate communications are to use jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model;
- and
- forwarding the rewritten SYN handshake message to the second computing device, such that communications with the second computing device uses jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model and wherein the jumbo frames are split into smaller frames and resent to the first computing device as non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model.
A computer-based method operating on a network device, comprising:
- performing actions on the network device that is interposed between a first computing device and a second computing device, the actions including:
- receiving within a synchronization (SYN) handshake message from the first computing device a packet at layer 3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model indicating that a communication from the first computing device is using non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model, based on a maximum segment size (MSS) value;
- rewriting the MSS value within the SYN handshake message to increase the MSS value to indicate communications are to use jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model;
- and
- forwarding the rewritten SYN handshake message to the second computing device, such that communications with the second computing device uses jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model and wherein the jumbo frames are split into smaller frames and resent to the first computing device as non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model.
An apparatus comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, that in response to execution by a network device that is interposed between a first and a second computing device, cause the network device to perform operations, comprising:
- receiving within a synchronization (SYN) handshake message from the first computing device a packet at layer 3 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model indicating that a communication from the first computing device is using non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model, based on a maximum segment size (MSS) value;
- rewriting the MSS value within the SYN handshake message to increase the MSS value to indicate communications are to use jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model;
- and
- forwarding the rewritten SYN handshake message to the second computing device, such that communications with the second computing device uses jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model and wherein the jumbo frames are split into smaller frames and resent to the first computing device as non jumbo frames at layer 2 of the OSI model.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.