Intelligent network storage interface system

• US 20040064590A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Inventors: Philbrick, Clive M., Boucher, Laurence B., Starr, Daryl D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9063 Intermediate storage in different physical parts of a node or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

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. The storage unit may include RAID or other multiple drive configurations and may be connected to the INIC by a parallel channel such as SCSI or by a serial channel such as Ethernet or Fibre Channel. The interface device contains a file cache that stores data transferred between the network and storage unit, with organization of data in the interface device file cache controlled by a file system on the host. Additional interface devices may be connected to the host via the I/O bus, with each additional interface device having a file cache controlled by the host file system, and providing additional network connections and/or being connected to additional storage units.

Claims

1. An apparatus connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:

a host computer having a processor and a file system, said host computer executing instructions corresponding to a plurality of communication protocols; and

an interface device connected to said host computer by a bus and connected to the network by a port, said interface device receiving via said port a first message, said first message including a data portion and a first control portion, said data portion cached on said interface device and not passing across said bus to said host computer, said host computer transmitting a second message via said port, said second message including said data portion and a second control portion, said second control portion of said second message passing across said bus to said interface device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data portion of said first message is communicated in accordance with a block format, and said data portion of said second message is communicated in accordance with a file format.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said data portion of said first message is communicated in accordance with a file format, and said data portion of said second message is communicated in accordance with a block format.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first control portion includes information in accordance with Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol, and said second control portion includes information in accordance with Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first control portion includes information in accordance with Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol, and said second control portion includes information in accordance with Network File System (NFS) protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first control portion includes information in accordance with Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, and said second control portion includes information in accordance with Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first control portion includes information in accordance with Network File System (NFS) protocol, and said second control portion includes information in accordance with Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said bus is an input/output (10) bus.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said bus is an intelligent network interface card (INIC) bus.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said bus is a host memory bus.

11. An apparatus connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a set of instructions executable by said processor corresponding to a plurality of communication protocols including Internet Protocol (IP), Transport Control Protocol (TCP), and at least one protocol layer above Transport Control Protocol (TCP); and

an interface device connected to said processor by a bus and connected to the network by a port, said interface device including hardware dedicated to processing a set of communication protocols including Internet Protocol (IP) and Transport Control Protocol (TCP), said interface device receiving a message via said port that includes data and a header, said header including information corresponding to Internet Protocol (IP), Transport Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol, said hardware processing at least said information corresponding to Internet Protocol (IP) and Transport Control Protocol (TCP).

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor processes said information corresponding to Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said hardware is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor establishes a TCP connection, and said header corresponds to said TCP connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said interface device receives a second message via said port, said second message including control information corresponding to Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said header is processed to obtain a storage location for said data.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said header defines a storage location for said data.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor operates a file system, and said interface device has a file cache that is managed by said file system.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said data is organized in accordance with a block format.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said interface device receives a second message via said port, said second message including additional data that is organized in accordance with a file format.

21. An apparatus connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a set of instructions executable by said processor corresponding to a plurality of communication protocols including Internet Protocol (IP), Transport Control Protocol (TCP), and at least one protocol above Transport Control Protocol (TCP); and

an interface device connected to said processor by a bus and connected to the network by a port, said interface device including hardware dedicated to processing a set of communication protocols including Internet Protocol (IP) and Transport Control Protocol (TCP), said interface device transmitting a message via said port that includes data and a header, said header including information corresponding to Internet Protocol (IP), Transport Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol, said hardware processing at least said information corresponding to Internet Protocol (IP) and Transport Control Protocol (TCP).

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said processor processes said information corresponding to Internet SCSI (iSCSI) protocol.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said interface device transmits a second message via said port, said second message including control information corresponding to Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said header is used to obtain a storage location for said data.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said header defines a storage location for said data.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said processor operates a file system, and said interface device has a file cache that is managed by said file system.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said data is organized in accordance with a block format.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said interface device transmits a second message via said port, said second message including additional data that is organized in accordance with a file format.