Virtual memory protocol segmentation offloading

A non-transitory program storage device readable by one or more processors of a computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform a method of segmentation offloading, the method comprising:

• fetching, by an interface of the computer system, payload data originated by a user process running on a host processor of the computer system by performing direct virtual memory addressing of a user memory space of a system memory of the computer system on behalf of a network processor of the computer system, wherein said direct virtual memory addressing maps a physical address of the payload data to a virtual address;
• segmenting, by the network processor, the payload data across one or more packets, wherein said segmenting comprises creating one or more Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets by performing TCP segmentation;
• and
• storing a buffer descriptor in system memory, the buffer descriptor containing (i) information indicative of a starting address of a payload buffer in the system memory containing at least a portion of the payload data and (ii) information indicative of whether the starting address is virtual or physical.

A method comprising:

• fetching, by an interface of a computer system, payload data originated by a user process running on a host processor of the computer system by performing direct virtual memory addressing of a user memory space of a system memory of the computer system on behalf of a network processor of the computer system, wherein said direct virtual memory addressing maps a physical address of the payload data to a virtual address;
• segmenting, by the network processor, the payload data across one or more packets, wherein said segmenting comprises creating one or more Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets by performing TCP segmentation;
• and
• storing a plurality of buffer descriptors in the system memory, wherein the plurality of buffer descriptors include:
• a first buffer descriptor of the plurality of buffer descriptors containing (i) information indicative of a first starting address of a first payload buffer in the system memory containing a first portion of the payload data and (ii) information indicative of whether the first starting address is virtual or physical;
• and
• a second buffer descriptor of the plurality of buffer descriptors containing (i) information indicative of a second starting address of a second payload buffer in the system memory containing a second portion of the payload data and (ii) information indicative of whether the second starting address is virtual or physical.

A non-transitory program storage device readable by one or more processors of a computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform a method of segmentation offloading, the method comprising:

• fetching, by an interface of the computer system, payload data originated by a user process running on a host processor of the computer system by performing direct virtual memory addressing of a user memory space of a system memory of the computer system on behalf of a network processor of the computer system, wherein said direct virtual memory addressing maps a physical address of the payload data to a virtual address;
• segmenting, by the network processor, the payload data across one or more packets, wherein said segmenting comprises creating one or more Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets by performing TCP segmentation;
• and
• storing a plurality of buffer descriptors in the system memory, wherein the plurality of buffer descriptors include:
• a first buffer descriptor of the plurality of buffer descriptors containing (i) information indicative of a first starting address of a first payload buffer in the system memory containing a first portion of the payload data and (ii) information indicative of whether the first starting address is virtual or physical;
• and
• a second buffer descriptor of the plurality of buffer descriptors containing (i) information indicative of a second starting address of a second payload buffer in the system memory containing a second portion of the payload data and (ii) information indicative of whether the second starting address is virtual or physical.