Event-based application layer switching for high-speed protocol processing

• US 20020199006A1
• Filed: 06/26/2001
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Andreassen, Jens K., Schroeder, Jacob J., Magnussen, Andreas, Kock, Steen V.
• Granted Patent: US 6,834,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A protocol processing system includes a frame buffer controller to store data. A protocol terminator system is coupled to the frame buffer controller to receive and transmit events. An event queue system is coupled to the protocol terminator system to store the events in an event queue. A protocol processing agent is provided to process a protocol. The protocol processing agent has a first connection with the frame buffer controller and a second connection with the protocol terminator system. The first connection transports the data between the protocol processing agent and the frame buffer controller, and the second connection transports the events between the protocol processing agent and the protocol terminator system.

Claims

1. A protocol processing system, comprising:

a frame buffer controller to store data;

a protocol terminator system coupled to the frame buffer controller to receive and transmit events;

an event queue system coupled to the protocol terminator system to store the events in an event queue; and

a protocol processing agent to process a protocol, the protocol processing agent having a first connection with the frame buffer controller and a second connection with the protocol terminator system, wherein the first connection transports the data between the protocol processing agent and the frame buffer controller, and the second connection transports the events between the protocol processing agent and the protocol terminator system.

2. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, further including a network interface connected to the protocol terminator system, the network interface providing a connection for the protocol processing system to a network.

3. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) system.

4. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Server Load Balancing (SLB) system.

5. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the protocol processing agent is an Extended Markup Language (XML) system.

6. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the events include at least one of an event type identification, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) pointer, a frame buffer controller handle, a frame buffer controller length, and a frame buffer controller prefetch.

7. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in the frame controller buffer includes a header and a data portion.

8. The protocol processing system according to claim 1, wherein the event queue system includes an event queue writer and an event queue reader for the protocol processing agent.

9. A method of high-speed protocol processing, comprising:

storing data in a frame buffer controller;

transmitting an event to an event queue system from a protocol processing agent via a control plane;

storing the event in an event queue;

transmitting the event from the event queue to an event queue reader of the protocol processing agent; and

forwarding the event from the event queue reader to the protocol processing agent via the control plane to process the event.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) system.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Server Load Balancing (SLB) system.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the protocol processing agent is an Extended Markup Language (XML) system.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the event includes at least one of an event type identification, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) pointer, a frame buffer controller handle, a frame buffer controller length, and a frame buffer controller prefetch.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the data stored in the frame controller buffer includes a header and a data portion.

16. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) system.

17. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the protocol processing agent is a Server Load Balancing (SLB) system.

18. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the protocol processing agent is an Extended Markup Language (XML) system.

19. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the event includes at least one of an event type identification, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) pointer, a frame buffer controller handle, a frame buffer controller length, and a frame buffer controller prefetch.

20. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the data stored in the frame controller buffer includes a header and a data portion.

21. The protocol processing system according to claim 15, wherein the event queue system includes an event queue writer.

15. A protocol processing system, comprising:

a machine-readable storage medium;

machine-readable program code, stored on the machine-readable storage medium, having instructions to

store data in a frame buffer controller,

transmit an event to an event queue system from a protocol processing agent via a control plane,

store the event in an event queue,

transmit the event from the event queue to an event queue reader of the protocol processing agent, and

forward the event from the event queue reader to the protocol processing agent via the control plane to process the event.

22. A Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) processing system, comprising:

a frame buffer controller to store data;

a TCP terminator system coupled to the frame buffer controller to receive and transmit events;

an event queue system coupled to the TCP terminator system to store the events in at least two event queues;

a first processing agent to process a first protocol, the first processing agent having a first connection with the frame buffer controller and a second connection with the TCP terminator system, wherein the first connection transports the data between the first processing agent and the frame buffer controller, and the second connection transports the events between the first processing agent and the TCP terminator system; and

a second processing agent to process a second protocol, the second processing agent having a third connection with the frame buffer controller and a fourth connection with the TCP terminator system, wherein the third connection transports the data between the second processing agent and the frame buffer controller, and the fourth connection transports the events between the second processing agent and the TCP terminator system.

23. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, further including a network interface connected to the TCP terminator system, the network interface providing a connection for the TCP processing system to a network.

24. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the first processing agent is selected from the group consisting of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) system, a Server Load Balancing (SLB) system, and an Extended Markup Language (XML) system.

25. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the second processing agent is selected from the group consisting of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) system, a Server Load Balancing (SLB) system, and an Extended Markup Language (XML) system.

26. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the events include at least one of an event type identification, a transmission control protocol (TCP) pointer, a frame buffer controller handle, a frame buffer controller length, and a frame buffer controller prefetch.

27. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the data stored in the frame controller buffer includes a header and a data portion.

28. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the event queue system includes an event queue writer, a first event queue reader for the first protocol processing agent, and a second event queue reader for the second protocol processing agent.

29. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the first protocol is selected from the group consisting of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, a Server Load Balancing (SLB) protocol, and an Extended Markup Language (XML) protocol.

30. The TCP processing system according to claim 22, wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, a Server Load Balancing (SLB) protocol, and an Extended Markup Language (XML) protocol.