Shared memory coupling of network infrastructure devices

• US 20030069938A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Lance W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods of coupling network infrastructure devices through a shared memory facility, rather than through conventional network I/O (input/output) adapters. All communications through the resulting network infrastructure service system are conducted using shared memory as the physical transport medium. In this way, the congestion and processing overhead caused by the duplication and storage of multiple copies of data packets to be transferred between network infrastructure devices may be avoided. This feature of the invention significantly increases the speed at which packets may be transmitted between network infrastructure devices.

Claims

1. A system providing network infrastructure services, comprising a shared memory facility interconnecting a plurality of network devices each configured to perform a dedicated network infrastructure function.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dedicated network infrastructure function is selected from the group consisting of:

a network security function, a quality of service function, and a network management function.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the dedicated network infrastructure function is selected from the group consisting of:

a proxy function, a load balancing function, a memory caching function, an encryption function, a compression function, a re-routing function, an application level network management function, and an active network management function.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the shared memory facility is a global shared memory facility, a distributed shared memory facility, or a logically shared memory facility.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each network device is operable to perform only a single network infrastructure function.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each network device is configurable and comprises a local processor and a local memory.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each network device includes in local memory an application module operable to control the functionality of the network device, and a configuration file containing parameters controlling operating characteristics of the network device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each network device further comprises a kernel operable to provide basic services to the network device.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the dedicated network infrastructure function performed by a network device is dynamically configurable.

10. The system of claim 9, where the dedicated network infrastructure function performed by a network device is selected based upon a network management policy.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein each network device further comprises:

a local communications protocol stack; and

a shared memory interface system operable to provide a local shared memory network between the network devices, and a global shared memory network between the network devices and one or more remote nodes by capturing packets from the local communications protocol stacks and routing the captured packets over the shared memory facility.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the shared memory interface system on each local node comprises a local shared memory virtual adapter and a global shared memory virtual adapter;

the local shared memory virtual adapters being operable to capture locally addressed packets from the local communications protocol stacks and to route the captured packets for physical transport over the shared memory facility; and

the global shared memory virtual adapters being operable to capture globally addressed packets from the local communications protocol stacks and to route the captured packets for physical transport over the shared memory facility.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the local shared memory virtual adapters appear to the local communications protocol stacks as device drivers for physical network adapters connected to the local shared memory network, and the global shared memory virtual adapters appear to the local communications protocol stacks as device drivers for physical network adapters connected to the global shared memory network.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the local shared memory network and the global shared memory network provided by the shared memory interface system are each characterized by a respective configurable maximum transfer unit (MTU).

15. A method of providing network infrastructure services, comprising interconnecting through a shared memory facility a plurality of network devices each configured to perform a dedicated network infrastructure function.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dedicated network infrastructure function is selected from the group consisting of:

a network security function, a quality of service function, and a network management function.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the dedicated network infrastructure function is selected from the group consisting of:

a proxy function, a load balancing function, a memory caching function, an encryption function, a compression function, a re-routing function, an application level network management function, and an active network management function.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising dynamically configuring the dedicated network infrastructure function performed by a network device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the dedicated network infrastructure function performed by a network device based upon a network management policy.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a local shared memory network between the network devices, and a global shared memory network between the network devices and one or more remote nodes by capturing packets from local communications protocol stacks of the network devices and routing the captured packets over the shared memory facility.

21. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium and comprising computer-readable instructions for causing a computer system to interconnect through a shared memory facility a plurality of network devices each configured to perform a dedicated network infrastructure function.