TCP/IP offload device with fast-path TCP ACK generating and transmitting mechanism
First Claim
1. A method of outputting a first TCP/IP packet and a second TCP/IP packet from a network interface device, the first TCP/IP packet and the second TCP/IP packet being output to a network, comprising:
- (a) storing first packet information on the network interface device;
(b) pushing a first pointer to the first packet information onto a first transmit queue of the network interface device;
(c) storing second packet information on the network interface device;
(d) pushing a second pointer to the second packet information onto a second transmit queue of the network interface device; and
(e) popping the second pointer off the second transmit queue and then popping the first pointer off the first transmit queue, the popped second pointer being used to locate the second packet information, the located second packet information then being output from the network interface device in the form of a second TCP/IP packet, the popped first pointer being used to locate the first packet information, the located first packet information being output from the network interface device in the form of a first TCP/IP packet such that the second TCP/IP packet is output from the network interface device and to the network before the first TCP/IP packet is output from the network interface device and to the network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network interface device has a fast-path ACK generating and transmitting mechanism. ACKs are generated using a finite state machine (FSM). The FSM retrieves a template header and fills in TCP and IP fields in the template. The FSM is not a stack, but rather fills in the TCP and IP fields without performing transport layer processing and network layer processing sequentially as separate tasks. The filled-in template is placed into a buffer and a pointer to the buffer is pushed onto a high-priority transmit queue. Pointers for ordinary data packets are pushed onto a low-priority transmit queue. A transmit sequencer outputs a packet by popping a transmit queue, obtaining a pointer, and causing information pointed to by the pointer to be output from the network interface device as a packet. The sequencer pops the high-priority queue in preference to the low-priority queue, thereby accelerating ACK generation and transmission.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of outputting a first TCP/IP packet and a second TCP/IP packet from a network interface device, the first TCP/IP packet and the second TCP/IP packet being output to a network, comprising:
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(a) storing first packet information on the network interface device;
(b) pushing a first pointer to the first packet information onto a first transmit queue of the network interface device;
(c) storing second packet information on the network interface device;
(d) pushing a second pointer to the second packet information onto a second transmit queue of the network interface device; and
(e) popping the second pointer off the second transmit queue and then popping the first pointer off the first transmit queue, the popped second pointer being used to locate the second packet information, the located second packet information then being output from the network interface device in the form of a second TCP/IP packet, the popped first pointer being used to locate the first packet information, the located first packet information being output from the network interface device in the form of a first TCP/IP packet such that the second TCP/IP packet is output from the network interface device and to the network before the first TCP/IP packet is output from the network interface device and to the network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A TCP/IP offload network interface device, comprising:
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a memory containing first packet information and second packet information;
a processor that causes a first pointer to the first packet information to be pushed onto a first transmit queue before a second pointer to the second packet information is pushed onto a second transmit queue; and
a transmit mechanism that pops the second queue in preference to popping the first queue, the transmit mechanism popping the second pointer off the second queue and outputting the second packet information from the network interface device in the form of a second TCP/IP packet, the transmit mechanism popping the first pointer off the first queue and outputting the first packet information from the network interface device in the form of a first TCP/IP packet, the transmit mechanism popping the second pointer from the second queue before popping the first pointer off the first queue, the second TCP/IP packet being output from the network interface device before the first TCP/IP packet is output from the network interface device. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification