Intelligent network storage interface system

• US 20010037406A1
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Inventors: Philbrick, Clive M., Boucher, Laurence B., Starr, Daryl D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/166 IP fragmentation; TCP segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP

Abstract

An interface device is connected to a host by an I/O bus and provides hardware and processing mechanisms for accelerating data transfers between a network and a storage unit, while controlling the data transfers by the host. The interface device includes hardware circuitry for processing network packet headers, and can use a dedicated fast-path for data transfer between the network and the storage unit, the fast-path set up by the host. The host CPU and protocol stack avoids protocol processing for data transfer over the fast-path, freeing host bus bandwidth, and the data need not cross the I/O bus, freeing I/O bus bandwidth. Realtime audio and video communication can also be provided when the interface device is coupled by an audio/video interface to appropriate communication devices, such as microphone, a speaker, a camera and/or a display.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transferring information between a network and a storage device, the apparatus comprising:

a host computer having a CPU operating a file system and a host memory connected to said CPU by a host bus, and

an interface device coupled to said host computer, to the network and to the storage device, said interface device including an interface memory containing an interface file cache adapted to store data that is communicated between the network and the storage device under control of said file system,

wherein said host computer is configured to designate a Uniform Datagram Protocol socket that is accessible by said interface device, and said interface device is configured to communicate said data between the network and the file cache according to said Uniform Datagram Protocol socket.

2. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said host computer is configured to create an application layer header that is accessible by said interface device, and said interface device is configured to prepend said application layer header to said data.

3. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said host computer is configured to create a Realtime Transport Protocol header that is accessible by said interface device, and said interface device is configured to prepend said Realtime Transport Protocol header to said data.

4. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data is stored with an associated Uniform Datagram Protocol header, and said interface device includes a mechanism configured to process said Uniform Datagram Protocol header.

5. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data is prepended with a Uniform Datagram Protocol header by said interface device to create a Uniform Datagram Protocol datagram, and said interface device includes a mechanism configured to divide said datagram into plural fragments.

6. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data is disposed in plural fragments, and said interface device includes a mechanism configured to concatenate said fragments corresponding to a Uniform Datagram Protocol header,

7. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data does not enter said host computer.

8. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data includes audio data.

9. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data includes video data.

10. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein said data is a part of a realtime communication.

11. An apparatus for transferring information between a network and a peripheral device, the apparatus comprising:

a host computer having a processor connected to a host memory by a host memory bus, said host memory containing an application operable by the processor to designate a Uniform Datagram Protocol socket, and

an interface device connected to said host computer and coupled between the network and the peripheral device, said interface device including an interface memory adapted to store data corresponding to said Uniform Datagram Protocol socket and a mechanism configured to associate said data with a Uniform Datagram Protocol header corresponding to said Uniform Datagram Protocol socket such that said data is communicated between the network and the peripheral device without encountering said host computer.

12. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said host computer contains a file system and said interface memory includes a file cache adapted to store said data, wherein said file system manages storage of said data in said file cache.

13. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said data travels over the network in at least one packet containing a Uniform Datagram Protocol header, and said interface device includes circuitry configured to process said Uniform Datagram Protocol header.

14. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said data travels over the network in plural fragments corresponding to a Uniform Datagram Protocol header, and said interface device is configured to concatenate said data with said Uniform Datagram Protocol header.

15. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said host computer is configured to create a Realtime Transport Protocol header that is accessible by said interface device, and said interface device is configured to prepend said Realtime Transport Protocol header to said data.

16. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said data includes audio data.

17. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said data includes video data.

18. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein said data is a part of a realtime communication over the network.

19. An apparatus connectable to a local computer, a network and a storage device, the local computer having a CPU and a protocol processing stack, the apparatus comprising:

a memory including a file cache for temporary storage of data being transferred between the network and the storage device,

slow-path means for processing a first packet of a message by sending a header of said first packet to the local computer for processing by the CPU running the protocol stack, and

fast-path means for transferring a second packet of said message between the network and the storage device without processing by the CPU.

20. The apparatus of

claim 19

, wherein said header is a Uniform Datagram Protocol header.