Method, system, and program for managing transmit throughput for a network controller

• US 20060004904A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Vasudevan, Anil, Sen, Sujoy, Sarangam, Parthasarathy
• Application Number:
  US10/882,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004904A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields

Abstract

Provided are a method, system, and program for managing transmit throughput for a network controller. In one embodiment, transmit requests from an application may be posted by the device driver to the network controller of the network adapter in a pipeline of transmit requests without waiting for an acknowledgment of the transfer of the accompanying transmit data to the network controller. In another aspect, a device driver monitors the available buffer space of a network controller buffer to ensure that the network controller has sufficient available buffer space before posting the next transmit request to the network controller. In accordance with yet another aspect, the device driver can copy transmit data from an application buffer to a driver buffer if the size of the transmit data of a particular transmit request is below a programmable threshold. If so, the device driver can notify the application to permit the application buffer to be released.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending a first transmit request to a network controller of a network adapter wherein the controller has a buffer and the first transmit request requests the transmission of first transmit data over a network;

sending a second transmit request to said network controller wherein the second transmit request requests the transmission of second transmit data over a network; and

receiving from the controller an acknowledgment of completion of the transfer of the first transmit data to the controller buffer after said second transmit request is sent to said controller.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a transmit request from an application to transmit application transmit data over a network;

determining the space available in said controller buffer prior to sending a transmit request to said controller; and

queuing said application transmit request in a pending transmit request queue if insufficient space is available in said controller buffer to store said application transmit data.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to said controller acknowledgment, determining if said application transmit request is queued in said pending transmit request queue;

determining the space available in said controller buffer; and

sending said application transmit request from said pending transmit request queue if sufficient space is available in said controller buffer to store said application transmit data.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a transmit request from an application to transmit over a network, application transmit data stored in an application buffer;

comparing the size of the application transmit data to a threshold; and

copying the application transmit data from said application buffer to a driver buffer if the size of said application transmit request data is below said threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising sending said application transmit request to said network controller;

and notifying said application of completion of said application transmit data copying if said application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving from the controller an acknowledgment of completion of copying of the application transmit data to the controller buffer, and in response to said completion acknowledgment, determining if said application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer and releasing said driver buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the controller buffer from said driver buffer instead of the application buffer, and notifying said application of completion of the transfer of the application transmit data to the controller buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the controller buffer from said application buffer instead of the driver buffer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the network controller has a transport protocol which is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network controller includes a Transmission Control Protocol offload engine (TOE).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending and receiving operations are executed by a device driver for the network adapter.

10. An article comprising a storage medium, the storage medium comprising machine readable instructions stored thereon to:

send a first transmit request to a network controller of a network adapter wherein the controller has a buffer and the first transmit request requests the transmission of first transmit data over a network;

send a second transmit request to said network controller wherein the second transmit request requests the transmission of second transmit data over a network; and

receive from the controller an acknowledgment of completion of the transfer of the first transmit data to the controller buffer after said second transmit request is sent to said controller.

11. The article of claim 10 wherein the storage medium further comprises machine readable instructions stored thereon to:

receive a transmit request from an application to transmit application transmit data over a network;

determine the space available in said controller buffer prior to sending a transmit request to said controller; and

queue said application transmit request in a pending transmit request queue if insufficient space is available in said controller buffer to store said application transmit data.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein the storage medium further comprises machine readable instructions stored thereon to:

in response to said controller acknowledgment, determine if said application transmit request is queued in said pending transmit request queue;

determine the space available in said controller buffer; and

send said application transmit request from said pending transmit request queue if sufficient space is available in said controller buffer to store said application transmit data.

13. The article of claim 11 wherein the storage medium further comprises machine readable instructions stored thereon to:

receive a transmit request from an application to transmit over a network, application transmit data stored in an application buffer;

compare the size of the application transmit data to a threshold; and

copy the application transmit data from said application buffer to a driver buffer if the size of said application transmit request data is below said threshold.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein the storage medium further comprises machine readable instructions stored thereon to send said application transmit request to said network controller;

and notify said application of completion of said application transmit data copying if said application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the storage medium further comprises machine readable instructions stored thereon to receive from the controller an acknowledgment of completion of copying of the application transmit data to the controller buffer, and in response to said completion acknowledgment, determine if said application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer and release said driver buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the controller buffer from said driver buffer instead of the application buffer, and notify said application of completion of the transfer of the application transmit data to the controller buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the controller buffer from said application buffer instead of the driver buffer.

16. The article of claim 15 wherein the network controller has a transport protocol which is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

17. The article of claim 10 wherein the network controller includes a Transmission Control Protocol offload engine (TOE).

18. The article of claim 10 wherein the sending and receiving operations are executed by a device driver for the network adapter.

19. A system for use with a network, comprising:

at least one system memory which includes an operating system and an application;

a motherboard;

a processor mounted on the motherboard and coupled to the memory;

an expansion card coupled to said motherboard;

a network adapter mounted on said expansion card and having a buffer; and

a device driver executable by the processor in the system memory for said network adapter, said device driver having a buffer in said system memory, wherein the device driver is adapted to;

send a first transmit request to said network adapter wherein the first transmit request requests the transmission of first transmit data over said network;

send a second transmit request to said network adapter wherein the second transmit request requests the transmission of second transmit data over said network; and

receive from the network adapter an acknowledgment of completion of the transfer of the first transmit data to the network adapter buffer after said second transmit request is sent to said network adapter.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

maintain in said system memory a queue of pending transmit requests to transmit application transmit data over a network;

receive a transmit request from an application to transmit application transmit data over a network;

determine the space available in said network adapter buffer prior to sending a transmit request to said network adapter; and

queue said application transmit request in a pending transmit request queue if insufficient space is available in said network adapter buffer to store said application transmit data.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

in response to said network adapter acknowledgment, determine if said application transmit request is queued in said pending transmit request queue;

determine the space available in said network adapter buffer; and

send said application transmit request from said pending transmit request queue if sufficient space is available in said network adapter buffer to store said application transmit data.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the application has a buffer in said system memory which contains application transmit data, and wherein the driver is further adapted to:

maintain a buffer in said memory;

receive a transmit request from the application to transmit over the network, said application transmit data stored in said application buffer;

compare the size of the application transmit data to a threshold; and

copy the application transmit data from said application buffer to said driver buffer if the size of said application transmit request data is below said threshold.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

send said application transmit request to said network adapter; and

notify said application of completion of said application transmit data copying if said application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

receive from the network adapter an acknowledgment of completion of copying of the application transmit data to the network adapter buffer, and in response to said completion acknowledgment, determine if said, application transmit data was copied to a driver buffer and release said driver buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the network adapter buffer from said driver buffer instead of the application buffer, and notify said application of completion of the transfer of the application transmit data to the network adapter buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the network adapter buffer from said application buffer instead of the driver buffer.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the network adapter has a transport protocol which is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

26. The system of claim 19 wherein the network adapter includes a Transmission Control Protocol offload engine (TOE).

27. A device driver for a network adapter for a network wherein the network adapter has a buffer, comprising

a memory and machine readable instructions stored in the memory to:

send a first transmit request to said network adapter wherein the first transmit request requests the transmission of first transmit data over said network;

send a second transmit request to said network adapter wherein the second transmit request requests the transmission of second transmit data over said network; and

receive from the network adapter an acknowledgment of completion of the transfer of the first transmit data to the network adapter buffer after said second transmit request is sent to said network adapter.

28. The device driver of claim 27 for use with an application wherein the driver is further adapted to:

maintain in said memory a queue of pending transmit requests to transmit application transmit data over said network;

receive a transmit request from an application to transmit application transmit data over a network;

determine the space available in said network adapter buffer prior to sending a transmit request to said network adapter; and

queue said application transmit request in a pending transmit request queue if insufficient space is available in said network adapter buffer to store said application transmit data.

29. The device driver of claim 28 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

in response to said network adapter acknowledgment, determine if said application transmit request is queued in said pending transmit request queue;

determine the space available in said network adapter buffer; and

send said application transmit request from said pending transmit request queue if sufficient space is available in said network adapter buffer to store said application transmit data.

30. The device driver of claim 28 wherein the application has a buffer in said memory which contains application transmit data, and wherein the driver is further adapted to:

maintain a buffer in said memory;

receive a transmit request from the application to transmit over the network, said application transmit data stored in said application buffer;

compare the size of the application transmit data to a threshold; and

copy the application transmit data from said application buffer to said driver buffer if the size of said application transmit request data is below said threshold.

31. The device driver of claim 30 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

send said application transmit request to said network adapter; and

notify said application of completion of said application transmit data copying if said application transmit data was copied to said driver buffer.

32. The device driver of claim 31 wherein the driver is further adapted to:

receive from the network adapter an acknowledgment of completion of copying of the application transmit data to the network adapter buffer, and in response to said completion acknowledgment, determine if said application transmit data was copied to said driver buffer and release said driver buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the network adapter buffer from said driver buffer instead of the application buffer, and notify said application of completion of the transfer of the application transmit data to the network adapter buffer if the application transmit data was transferred to the network adapter buffer from said application buffer instead of the driver buffer.

33. The device driver of claim 32 wherein the network adapter has a transport protocol which is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

34. The device driver of claim 27 wherein the network adapter includes a Transmission Control Protocol offload engine (TOE).