TCP host

• US 20060075119A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Cavium, LLC (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Kessler, Richard E., Sanzone, Robert A., Hussain, Muhammad R., Badr, Imran, Masood, Faisal
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9031 Wraparound memory, e.g. overrun or underrun detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9063 Intermediate storage in different physical parts of a node or terminal
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor

Abstract

A network application executing on a host system provides a list of application buffers in host memory stored in a queue to a network services processor coupled to the host system. The application buffers are used for storing data transferred on a socket established between the network application and a remote network application executing in a remote host system. Using the application buffers, data received by the network services processor over the network is transferred between the network services processor and the application buffers. After the transfer, a completion notification is written to one of the two control queues in the host system. The completion notification includes the size of the data transferred and an identifier associated with the socket. The identifier identifies a thread associated with the transferred data and the location of the data in the host system.

Claims

1. A network processor comprising:

local memory shared by a plurality of processors for storing data transferred over a network coupled to the network processor; and

an interface to a host system, the interface managing a queue for a socket established between an application executing in host memory and another application executing in a remote host coupled to the network, the queue storing a unique identifier for a process identifier associated with the socket, the interface transferring data asynchronously between host memory and local memory, an indication being received by a waiting process in the host system that data has been written to host memory based on a process identifier stored in the queue.

2. The network processor of claim 1, wherein the socket is a Transmission Control Protocol socket.

3. The network processor of claim 1, wherein the socket is a User Datagram Protocol socket.

4. The network processor of claim 1, wherein data transferred over the network is transferred directly between local memory and application space in host memory in the host system.

5. The network processor of claim 1, wherein data transferred over the network is indirectly transferred between local memory and application space in host memory in the host system via kernel space in the host memory.

6. The network processor of claim 1, wherein the queue is implemented as a ring buffer and address pointers for managing the queue are stored in local memory.

7. A computer implemented method for transferring data between an application executing in a host system and a remote application executing in a remote host system over a socket, the method comprising:

sharing by a plurality of processors a local memory for storing data transferred over a network;

managing a queue for a socket established between the application executing in host memory and the remote application executing in the remote host system coupled to the network, the queue storing a unique identifier for a process identifier associated with the socket; and

transferring data asynchronously between host memory and local memory, an indication being received by a waiting process in the host system indicating that data has been written to application memory based on a process identifier stored in the queue.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the socket is a Transmission Control Protocol socket.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the socket is a User Datagram Protocol socket.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein data transferred over the network is transferred directly between local memory and application space in host memory in the host system.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein data transferred over the network is indirectly transferred between local memory and application space in host memory in the host system via kernel space in the host memory.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the queue is implemented as a ring buffer and address pointers for managing the queue are stored in local memory.

13. A network processor comprising:

local memory shared by the plurality of processors for storing data transferred over a network coupled to the network processor; and

interface means for managing a queue in host memory for a socket established between an application executing in the host memory in a host system and a remote application executing in a remote host system coupled to the network, the queue storing a unique identifier for a process identifier associated with the socket, the interface means transferring data asynchronously between host memory and local memory, an indication being received by a waiting process in the host system indicating that data has been written to host memory based on a process identifier stored in the queue.

14. A network processor comprising:

a plurality of processors, a first processor executing an application and a second processor executing an operating system; and

a local memory shared by the plurality of processors for storing data transferred over a network coupled to the network processor, the second processor managing a queue for a socket established between the application and another application executing in a remote host coupled to the network, the queue storing a unique identifier for the socket, the data being transferred directly between the application buffers and network buffers in the local memory.

15. A networking system comprising:

a host system executing a network application, the host system comprising;

a network services processor;

a network interface; and

a socket switch, the socket switch directing network service calls from the application to the network services processor or the network interface card based on an Internet Protocol address included in a network service call.