US 9,264,366 B2 · Method and apparatus for processing received network packets on a network interface for a computer

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.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for data communication by a host computer that is connected to a network interface by an input/output (I/O) bus, the method comprising:

receiving, by the network interface, a network packet including an Internet Protocol (IP) header, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header and an upper layer header, wherein the upper layer header corresponds to a protocol above TCP;
analyzing, by the network interface, the IP header, the TCP header, and the upper layer header, including decoding, by the network interface, the upper layer header to determine a length of data being received;
associating the packet with a TCP control block (TCB) that is being maintained on the network interface;
and
transferring, from the network interface to the host computer, data from the packet directly to the host memory, without transferring the TCP header from the network interface to the host computer.

2 more elements

A method for data communication by a host computer that is connected to a network interface by an input/output (I/O) bus, the method comprising:

maintaining, on the network interface, a control block containing an Internet Protocol (IP) source address, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) source port, an IP destination address and a TCP destination port;
receiving, by the network interface, first and second network packets that contain a message, the first network packet including a first Internet Protocol (IP) header, a first Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header, an upper layer header and first data from the message, the second network packet including a second IP header, a second TCP header and second data from the message;
processing, by the network interface, the IP headers and the TCP headers, including associating the packets with the control block;
decoding, by the network interface, the upper layer header of the first packet, including determining a length of the message, wherein the upper layer header corresponds to a protocol above TCP;
and
transferring, from the network interface to the host computer, the first data and the second data directly to the host memory, without transferring the first TCP header from the network interface to the host computer and without transferring the second TCP header from the network interface to the host computer.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

14/699,739Filed 29 Apr 2015 · continuation

Priority

14 Oct 1997

Published

US 2015/0249609 A13 Sep 2015

Granted

16 Feb 2016

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

Application09/141,713Parent 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

US 6,226,680 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 1 May 2001

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

US 6,389,479 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 May 2002

US 6,427,173 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Jul 2002

US 6,427,171 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Jul 2002

US 6,434,620 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Aug 2002

Application10/678,336Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Oct 2003

US 7,167,926 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 23 Jan 2007

US 2015/0249609 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Sep 2015

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

Application10/678,336Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2004/0003126 A1Published application

US 2004/0100952 A1Published application

US 9,264,366 B2This patent

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

Method and apparatus for processing received network packets on a network interface for a computer

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for processing received network packets on a network interface for a computer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20