PACKET PROCESSING DEVICE BY MULTIPLE PROCESSOR CORES AND PACKET PROCESSING METHOD BY THE SAME

• US 20100215050A1
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: KANADA, Yasusi
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A packet processing device includes multiple processor cores and memory connected to the multiple processor cores, upon reception of a load request of a program, selects a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded, loads the program to the selected processor core, retains first association information that associates attribute information specified by the load request with the processor core to which the program has been loaded, upon reception of the packet, specifies the attribute information corresponding to the received packet, and transfers the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information.

Claims

1. A packet processing device connected to a network, comprising:

multiple processor cores; and

memory connected to the multiple processor cores,

wherein, upon reception of a load request of a program, the packet processing device selects a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded among the multiple processor cores,

wherein the packet processing device loads the program to the selected processor core;

wherein the packet processing device retains first association information that associates attribute information specified by the load request with the processor core to which the program is loaded;

wherein upon reception of the packet, the packet processing device specifies the attribute information corresponding to the received packet; and

wherein the packet processing device transfers the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information.

2. The packet processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the packet processing device selects the processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded based on the first association information.

3. The packet processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the packet processing device retains second association information that associates at least one of an address, a user identifier, and a service identifier with the attribute information;

and

wherein, upon reception of the packet, the packet processing device specifies the attribute information corresponding to at least one of the address, the user identifier, and the service identifier that are included in the received packet based on the second association information.

4. The packet processing device according to claim 1, comprising:

a switch for transferring the packet;

a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch;

a plurality of network interfaces connected to the switch and the network; and

a control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module includes a plurality of network processing units;

wherein the each network processing unit includes the multiple processor cores;

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, fifth association information, and sixth association information;

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part, and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit;

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information;

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the network processing unit among pieces of the third association information;

wherein the sixth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the packet processing module among pieces of the third association information;

wherein the each network interface retains the sixth association information and, upon reception of the packet from the network, transfers the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the sixth association information;

wherein the each packet processing module retains the fifth association information and, upon reception of the packet, transfers the received packet to the network processing unit corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information; and

wherein the each network processing unit retains the fourth association information and, upon reception of the packet, transfers the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fourth association information.

5. The packet processing device according to claim 4,

wherein the each network interface further retains information that defines translation or deletion of the address of the packet corresponding to the attribute information, upon reception of the packet from the network, translates or deletes the address of the received packet based on the specified attribute information and the information that defines the translation or deletion of the address, and translates the packet including the translated address or the packet with the address deleted to the packet processing module.

6. The packet processing device according to claim 1, which is connected to the network, the device comprising:

a switch for transferring the packet;

a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch; and

a control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module includes a plurality of network processing units,

wherein the each network processing unit includes the multiple processor cores,

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, and fifth association information,

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit,

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the network processing unit among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the control part transfers a command that associates the specified attribute information with the packet processing module to the switch based on the third association information,

wherein, upon reception of the packet from the network, the switch transfers the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the command,

wherein the each packet processing module retains the fifth association information and, upon reception of the packet, transfers the received packet to the network processing unit, corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information, and

wherein the each network processing unit retains the fourth association information and, upon reception of the packet, transfers the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fourth association information.

7. The packet processing device according to claim 1, comprising:

a first network processing unit; and

a second network processing unit,

wherein the first network processing unit and the second network processing unit each include the multiple processor cores,

wherein, upon reception of a load request of a program at the time when the program has already been loaded to at least one of the multiple processor cores the first network processing unit includes, the program has not yet been loaded to at least one of other processor cores, and the program has not yet been loaded also to any of the processor cores the second network processing unit includes, the packet processing device loads the program that has been loaded to at least one of the multiple processor cores the first network processing unit includes to at least one of the multiple processor cores the second network processing unit includes, and

wherein the packet processing device further loads the program specified by the received load request to a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded among the multiple processor cores the second network processing unit includes.

8. The packet processing device according to claim 1, comprising:

a switch for transferring the packet;

a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch;

a plurality of network interfaces connected to the switch and the network; and

a control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module includes a network processing unit,

wherein the each network processing unit includes the multiple processor cores,

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, and fifth association information,

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part, and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit,

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the packet processing module among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the each network interface retains the fifth association information and, upon reception of the packet from the network, transfers the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information,

wherein the each packet processing module transfers the received packet to the network processing unit; and

wherein the network processing unit retains the fourth association information and, upon reception of the packet, transfers the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information.

9. A packet processing method of a packet processing device connected to a network, the packet processing device including multiple processor cores and memory connected to the multiple processor cores, the method comprising:

a first process of, upon reception of a load request of a program, selecting a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded among the multiple processor cores;

a second process of loading the program to the selected processor core;

a third process of retaining first association information that associates attribute information specified by the load request with a processor core to which the program has been loaded,

a fourth process of, upon reception of the packet, specifying attribute information corresponding to the received packet; and

a fifth process of transferring the received packet to a processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information.

10. The packet processing method according to claim 9,

wherein the first process includes a process of selecting a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded based on the first association information.

11. The packet processing method according to claim 9,

wherein the packet processing device retains second association information that associates at least one of the address, an identifier of a user, and an identifier of a service with the attribute information, and

wherein the fourth process includes a process of specifying the attribute information corresponding to at least one of the address, the identifier of the user, and the identifier of the service that are included in the received packet.

12. The packet processing device according to claim 9,

wherein the packet processing device includes a switch for transferring the packet, a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch, a plurality of network interfaces connected to the switch and the network, and a control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module includes a plurality of network processing units,

wherein the each network processing unit has the multiple processor cores,

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, fifth association information, and sixth association information,

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part, and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit,

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the network processing unit among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the sixth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the packet processing module among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the each network processing unit retains the fourth association information,

wherein the each packet processing module retains the fifth association information,

wherein the each network interface retains the sixth association information,

wherein the fifth process includes:

a sixth process of, upon reception of the packet from the network, transferring the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the sixth association information;

a seventh process of, upon reception of the packet, transferring the received packet to the network processing unit corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information; and

an eighth process of, upon reception of the packet, transferring the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fourth association information.

13. The packet processing device according to claim 12,

wherein the each network interface further retains information that defines translation or deletion of an address of the packet corresponding to the attribute information,

wherein the sixth process includes a process of, when the each network interface receives the packet from the network, translating or deleting the address of the received packet based on the specified attribute information and information that defines translation or deletion of the address, and transferring the packet including the translated address or the packet with the address deleted to the packet processing module.

14. The packet processing method according to claim 9,

wherein the packet processing device is connected to the network, and has a switch for transferring the packet, a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch, and a control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module has a plurality of network processing units,

wherein the each network processing unit has the multiple processor cores,

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, and fifth association information,

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit,

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the network processing unit among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the each network processing unit retains the fourth association information,

wherein the each packet processing module retains the fifth association information,

the method further comprising:

a process where the control part transfers a command that associates the specified attribute information with the packet processing module based on the third association information to the switch,

wherein the fifth process includes;

a process of, when the switch receives the packet from the network, transferring the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the command;

a process of, when the each packet processing module receives the packet, transferring the received packet to the network processing unit corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information; and

a process of, when the each network processing unit receives the packet, transferring the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fourth association information.

15. The packet processing method according to claim 9,

wherein the packet processing device includes a first network processing unit and a second network processing unit,

wherein the first network processing unit and the second network processing unit each include the multiple processor cores,

wherein the second process includes:

a process of, when the program has already been loaded to at least one of the multiple processor cores the first network processing unit includes, the program has not yet been loaded to at least one of other processor cores, and the program has not yet been loaded to any of the processor cores the second network processing unit includes, loading the program that has been loaded to at least one of the multiple processor cores the first network processing unit includes to at least one of the multiple processor cores the second network processing unit includes; and

a process of loading the program specified by the received load request to a processor core to which the program has not yet been loaded among the multiple processor cores the second network processing unit includes.

16. The packet processing method according to claim 9,

wherein the packet processing device includes a switch for transferring the packet, a plurality of packet processing modules connected to the switch, a plurality of network interfaces connected to the switch and the network, and the control part for controlling the packet processing device,

wherein the each packet processing module has a network processing unit,

wherein the each network processing unit has the multiple processor cores,

wherein the first association information includes third association information, fourth association information, and fifth association information,

wherein the third association information is retained by the control part, and associates the attribute information, identification information of the processor core, identification information of the network processing unit including the processor core, and identification information of the packet processing module including the network processing unit,

wherein the fourth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the processor core among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the fifth association information includes at least the same information as information that associates the attribute information with the identification information of the packet processing module among pieces of the third association information,

wherein the each network processing unit retains the fourth association information,

wherein the each network interface retains the fifth association information,

wherein the fifth process includes:

a sixth process of, when the each network interface receives the packet from the network, transferring the received packet to the packet processing module corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fifth association information;

a seventh process of, when the each network interface received the packet, transferring the received packet to the network processing unit; and

an eighth process of, when the each network processing unit receives the packet, transferring the received packet to the processor core corresponding to the specified attribute information based on the fourth association information.