PACKET PROCESSING OPTIMIZATION

• US 20110228674A1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Marvell Israel Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell Israel Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Mizrahi, Noam, Habusha, Adi, Pais, Alon
• Application Number:
  US13/038,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228674A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements

Abstract

Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method comprising receiving a data packet that is transmitted over a network; generating classification information for the data packet; and selecting a memory storage mode for the data packet based on the classification information. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a data packet that is transmitted over a network;

generating classification information for the data packet based on information included in the packet; and

selecting a memory storage mode for the data packet based on the classification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the memory mode further comprises selecting a pre-fetch mode for the data packet based on the classification information, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to selecting the pre-fetch mode, storing the data packet to a memory; and

fetching at least a section of the data packet from the memory to a cache based at least in part on the classification information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data packet is a first data packet, wherein the first data packet is associated with a first traffic flow, and wherein said fetching the at least a section of the first data packet further comprises:

fetching, while processing a second data packet associated with the first traffic flow, the at least a section of the first data packet from the memory to the cache based at least in part on the first data packet and the second data packet being associated with the same traffic flow.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said fetching the at least a section of the data packet further comprises:

in advance of a processing core requesting the at least a section of the data packet to execute a processing operation on the at least a section of the data packet, fetching the at least a section of the data packet to the cache.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said generating the classification information further comprises:

generating the classification information for the data packet such that the classification information includes an indication of the at least a section of the data packet that is fetched from the memory to the cache.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the memory mode further comprises selecting a cache deposit mode for the data packet based on the classification information, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to selecting the cache deposit mode, storing a section of the data packet to a cache.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein storing the section of the data packet to the cache further comprises:

transmitting the section of the data packet from a network controller to the cache.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the section of the data packet comprises a first section of the data packet, wherein the data packet comprises the first section and a second section, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the second section of the data packet from the network controller to a memory; and

refraining from transmitting the second section of the data packet from the network controller to the cache.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting the memory mode further comprises selecting a snooping mode for the data packet, wherein the method further comprises:

in response to selecting the snooping mode, transmitting the data packet to a memory; and

while transmitting the data packet to the memory, snooping a section of the data packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said generating the classification information further comprises:

generating the classification information for the data packet such that the classification information includes an indication of the section of the data packet that is snooped.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating the classification information for the data packet further comprises:

determining a priority of the data packet; and

if the data packet is of relatively high priority, generating the classification information such that the classification information indicates a cache deposit mode for the data packet.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said generating the classification information for the data packet further comprises:

if the data packet is of relatively high priority, generating the classification information such that the classification information indicates that the entire data packet is to be stored directly from a network controller to a cache.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating the classification information for the data packet further comprises:

determining a priority of the data packet;

if the packet is of relatively low priority, generating the classification information such that the classification information indicates a storage mode for storing the data packet in a memory without pre-fetch; and

if the data packet is of a priority lower than the relatively high priority and higher than the relatively low priority, generating the classification information such that the classification information indicates a pre-fetch mode for the data packet.

14. A system-on-chip (SOC) comprising:

a processing core;

a cache;

a parsing and classification module configured to;

receive a data packet from a network controller, wherein the network controller receives the data packet over a network, and

generate classification information for the data packet; and

a memory storage mode selection module configured to select a memory storage mode for the data packet, based on the classification information.

15. The SOC of claim 14, further comprising a pre-fetch module configured to:

in response to the memory storage mode selection module selecting a pre-fetch mode, store the data packet to a memory; and

pre-fetch a section of the data packet from the memory to the cache, based at least in part on the classification information.

16. The SOC of claim 15, wherein:

the data packet is a first data packet that is associated with a first traffic flow; and

the pre-fetch module pre-fetches the section of the first data packet while the processing core processes a second data packet associated with the first traffic flow, based at least in part on the first data packet and the second data packet being associated with the same traffic flow.

17. The SOC of claim 15, wherein the memory is external to the SOC.

18. The SOC of claim 14, further comprising a cache deposit module configured to:

in response to the memory storage mode selection module selecting a cache deposit mode, control the network controller such that the network controller transmits a section of the data packet to the cache, based at least in part on the classification information.

19. The SOC of claim 14, further comprising:

a snooping module configured to snoop a section of the data packet while the data packet is transmitted from the network controller to the memory, based on the classification information.

20. The SOC of claim 19, wherein the classification information includes an indication of the data packet that is to be snooped by the snooping module.