Method, system, and program for processing data packets in packet buffers

• US 20040085977A1
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gaur, Daniel R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,286,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9026 Single buffer per packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9073 Early interruption upon arrival of a fraction of a packet

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for processing packets of data. An available packet buffer in memory is allocated to a received packet, wherein the received packet is stored in the allocated packet buffer. A determination is made as to whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold. A further determination is made as to whether the number of available packet buffers is less than a second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold. An operation is initiated to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

Claims

1. A method for processing packets of data, comprising:

allocating an available packet buffer in memory to a received packet, wherein the received packet is stored in the allocated packet buffer;

determining whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold;

determining whether the number of available packet buffers is less than a second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold; and

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

releasing the allocated packet buffer after copying the received packet to the copy buffer, wherein the released packet buffer is available to receive an additional packet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the first threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a size of the received packet is less than a packet size threshold, wherein the operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to the copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold is performed if the received packet size is less than the packet size threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the first threshold, wherein the received packet copied if the number of available packet buffers is less than the first threshold is capable of being greater than the packet size threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the packets in the packet buffers and copy buffers to access data in the packets; and

releasing the packet buffer including the processed packet to make the released packet buffer available for additional packets.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the packets are received from a network adaptor and are encoded using a transport layer protocol, wherein processing the packet comprises using the transport layer protocol to access data within the packet.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the accessed data comprises at least one of data, status and commands included in payload data encoded using a device layer protocol.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transport layer protocol is a member of a set of transport layer protocols comprising TCP, IP, iSCSI, Fibre Channel SCSI, and parallel SCSI transport.

11. A system for processing packets of data, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

at least one program executed by the processor in the memory to cause the processor to perform;

(i) allocating an available packet buffer in memory to a received packet, wherein the received packet is stored in the allocated packet buffer;

(ii) determining whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold;

(iii) determining whether the number of available packet buffers is less than a second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold; and

(iv) initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the program executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform:

releasing the allocated packet buffer after copying the received packet to the copy buffer, wherein the released packet buffer is available to receive an additional packet.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the program executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform:

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the first threshold.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the program executed by the processor further causes the processor to perform:

determining whether a size of the received packet is less than a packet size threshold, wherein the operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to the copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold is performed if the received packet size is less than the packet size threshold.

15. An article of manufacture including a program for processing packets of data, wherein the program causes operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

allocating an available packet buffer in memory to a received packet;

determining whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold;

determining whether the number of available packet buffers is less than second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold; and

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising:

initiating an operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the first threshold.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether a size of the received packet is less than a packet size threshold, wherein initiating the operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to the copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold is performed if the received packet size is less than the packet size threshold.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the packets are received from a network adaptor and are encoded using a transport layer protocol, wherein processing the packet comprises using the transport layer protocol to access data within the packet.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the accessed data comprises at least one of data, status and commands included in payload data encoded using a device layer protocol.

16. The method 15, wherein the program comprises a device driver capable of communicating with a transport protocol driver, and wherein the step of the device driver initiating the call to copy the received packet comprises calling the transport protocol driver to copy the received packet to the copy buffer.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the transport protocol driver releases the allocated packet buffer after copying the received packet to the copy buffer, wherein the released packet buffer is available to receive an additional packet.

23. An article of manufacture including an operating system and driver programs for processing packets of data, wherein the operating system and driver programs cause operations to be performed, the operations comprising:

allocating an available packet buffer in memory to a received packet;

determining whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold;

determining whether the number of available packet buffers is less than second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold; and

copying the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein the driver programs include a device driver and transport protocol driver, wherein the operations of allocating the available packet buffer and determining whether the number of available packet buffers is less than the first and second thresholds are performed by the device driver executing in the operating system and the operation of copying the received packet to the copy buffer is performed by the transport protocol driver executing in the operating system.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 23, further comprising:

releasing the allocated packet buffer after copying the received packet to the copy buffer, wherein the released packet buffer is available to receive an additional packet.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 23, further comprising:

determining whether a size of the received packet is less than a packet size threshold, wherein the operation to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to the copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold is performed if the received packet size is less than the packet size threshold.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 23, further comprising:

processing the packets in the packet buffers and copy buffers to access data in the packets; and

releasing the packet buffer including the processed packet to make the released packet buffer available for additional packets.