Network protocol processing device

• US 20050246450A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakatani, Yoji, Nakano, Takahiro, Enko, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Providing a network protocol processing device by which a server connected to a network logically parted on a user basis can offload TCP protocol processing. In a server having a network protocol processing function including: a host processor that processes user requests received through a network; and TOE equipment including a network port that is connected with the host processor, and connected with the network, a processor that performs TCP/IP protocol processing, and a memory that holds TCP connection identification information, information indicating a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number, and frame information including VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q are used as TCP connection identification information.

Claims

1. A server having a network protocol processing function, comprising:

a host processor that processes user requests received through a network; and

TOE equipment including a network port that is connected with the host processor, and connected with the network, a processor that performs TCP/IP protocol processing, and a memory that holds TCP connection identification information,

wherein information indicating a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number, and frame information including VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q are used as TCP connection identification information.

2. The server according to claim 1, including an interface for receiving TCP connection identification information including VLAN-ID from the host processor.

3. The server according to claim 2,

wherein the host processor transfers VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q to the TOE equipment as the TCP connection identification information.

4. The server according to claim 1, including a host memory storing:

an ARP table, consulted to establish a TCP connection, that indicates correspondences between IP addresses of other hosts connected to the same VLAN and MAC addresses; and

a routing table showing a next host to which a packet is to be transferred, with respect to an IP address of a given destination host.

5. The server according to one of claims 1,

wherein, when a TCP connection has been established, the host processor stores connection state information including an IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, a destination port number, and VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q in a connection information block and sends the block to the TOE equipment.

6. The server according to claim 5,

wherein the TOE equipment creates a connection table in a memory of the TOE equipment based on information on the connection information block, and additionally registers the connection table in a connection list.

7. TOE equipment, comprising:

a network port connected with a network;

a processor that performs TCP/IP protocol processing; and

a memory that holds TCP connection identification information,

wherein the TOE equipment receives connection identification information from a host processor that processes user requests received through the network, the connection identification information including an IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, a destination port number, and an ID defined to logically part the network to plural networks, and identifies the network in accordance with the connection identification information.

8. A network protocol processing method in a server that performs protocol processing for a network logically parted to plural networks, the method comprising the steps of:

in a host processor, creating a TCP connection table that registers, as TCP connection information of network setting information of a certain user, at least information indicating a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number, and information including an ID defined to logically part the network into plural networks and establishing a TCP connection;

passing the TCP connection information from the host processor to TOE equipment;

and in the TOE equipment, newly creating a connection table based on the TCP connection information, and registering information about the connection table in a connection list.

9. The network protocol processing method according to claim 8, comprising the steps of:

in the TOE equipment, searching the connection list to check weather the connection table is registered; and

as a result of the checking, if the connection table is registered and data to be sent exists, creating a TCP/IP packet from the data, storing VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q in a specific field of the packet, and sending the packet to the network.

10. The network protocol processing method according to claim 8, using a send buffer and a receive buffer referred to from a connection table separated by TCP connection identification information as a data interface with the host processor,

wherein, during sending, a packet is extracted from the send buffer, and VLAN-ID is included in a send packet to send the send packet, while, during receiving, a connection is identified by use of VLAN-ID included in a packet received from the network and the packet is stored in a receive buffer referred to from a connection table separated by the VLAN-ID.

11. The network protocol processing method according to one of claims 8, further comprising the steps of:

upon receiving the packet, in the TOE processor, searching the connection list to check whether the connection table is registered;

as a result of the checking, if registered, checking whether VLAN-ID, a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number within the received packet match values registered in the connection table; and

as a result of the checking, if all match, performing TCP receive processing for the received packet.

12. A server having a network protocol processing function, comprising:

a host processor that processes user requests received through a network;

a host memory storing, on a user basis, network setting information including;

a port list in which network ports available to a user are described;

an ARP table that indicates correspondences between IP addresses of other hosts connected to the same VLAN and MAC addresses;

a routing table showing a next host to which a packet is to be transferred, with respect to an IP address of a given destination host;

a TCP connection table including a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, a destination port number, and VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q; and

a connection list storing a pointer indicating the TCP connection table; and

TOE equipment including;

a network port connected to the network;

a TOE processor for performing TCP/IP protocol processing; and

a TOE memory holding at least information for identifying TCP connections,

wherein the host processor creates the TCP connection table in network setting information of a certain user, registers a pointer to the TCP connection table in the connection list, establishes a TCP connection for the user, and passes a connection information block including at least a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number, and VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q, which are stored in the TCP connection information table, to the TOE equipment,

wherein the TOE processor, based on information of the connection information block, newly creates a connection table in the TOE memory, registers a pointer to the connection table in the connection list, if data exists in a send socket buffer registered in the connection table, creates a TCP/IP packet from the data, stores VLAN-ID defined by IEEE802.1Q in a specific field of the packet, and sends the packet to the network, and

wherein, when receiving a packet, the TOE processor determines whether the pointer to the connection table is registered in the connection list, checks whether VLAN-ID, a source IP address, a destination IP address, a source port number, and a destination port number within the received packet match values registered in the connection table, and if all match, performs TCP receive processing for the received packet.