INTEGRATED NETWORK INTERFACE SUPPORTING MULTIPLE DATA TRANSFER PROTOCOLS

• US 20160021221A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: JOHNSON, Neil James, CHANG, Kiwon, CLAYTON, Shawn Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/870,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0688 Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

more high-speed network data transfer protocols that are based on different standards of network data transfer architectures, wherein an incoming data stream formatted in accordance with a particular network data transfer standard is processed into data not subject to the network data transfer standard to be output for further processing by a host. In one aspect, a network interface device is provided with a set of shared or common protocol independent physical link components that are used to identify the operating protocol of the incoming data, and a set of dynamically or statically re-configurable, shared or common protocol independent data transfer processing components that support data exchange via the physical link components for all the supported protocols, which may include a protocol specific link interface for each supported protocol.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

a protocol independent interface operable to receive data according to a block-based protocol of a plurality of protocols, the protocol independent interface also being operable to receive data according to a packet-based protocol of the plurality of protocols;

a serializer/deserializer operably coupled to the protocol independent interface to detect a presence or an absence of the block-based protocol;

a link monitor operable to monitor the protocol independent interface and the serializer/deserializer, wherein if the protocol independent interface is being used and the block-based protocol is absent, the link monitor directs the serializer/deserializer to detect a presence or an absence of the packet-based protocol; and

a protocol specific components operably coupled to the serializer/deserializer to enable a data transmission to a packet-based network.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the serializer/deserializer output is coupled to at least two protocol specific components.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protocols comprise high speed standards allowing data exchanges at speeds at least on the order of 10 Gbits/s.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein the link monitor sets a corresponding reference data rate for the identified protocol.

13. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a protocol independent media interface layer component for handling the data at a frame level.

20. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a host interface for interfacing the network device with a host network element.

21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the network device and the host interface are implemented on a host bus adaptor (HBA).

22. The network device of claim 20, wherein the host interface is a PCI bus interface.

34. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a visual indicator operable to be illuminated if the protocol independent interface is in use.

4-8. -8. (canceled)

10-12. -12. (canceled)

14-19. -19. (canceled)

23-33. -33. (canceled)

35. A method for network communication, the method comprising:

detecting a use of a protocol independent interface for a data reception;

detecting a presence or an absence of data indicative of a block-based protocol;

if the protocol independent interface is being used and data indicative of the block-based protocol is absent, detecting a presence or an absence of data indicative of a packet-based protocol; and

transmitting to a packet-based network.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the method comprises illuminating a visual indicator if the protocol independent interface is in use.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the detecting of the presence or the absence of data indicative of the block-based protocol uses a serializer/deserializer.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the method comprises selecting a data path based on whether data indicative of the block-based protocol is present.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the method comprises adapting a data processor if data indicative of the block-based protocol is present.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the block-based protocol is one of a plurality of protocols.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the method comprises setting a reference data rate corresponding to the packet-based protocol.

42. A network-device, comprising:

an interface operable to receive data according to a block-based protocol and operable to receive data according to a packet-based protocol;

a memory device operably coupled to the interface to buffer data according to the block-based protocol and operable to buffer data according to the packet-based protocol;

a link monitor operable to monitor the interface and the memory device to detect whether received data is formatted according to the block-based protocol or the packet-based protocol; and

a hardware processor operably coupled to the link monitor and operable to format a data transmission according to a packet-based network.

43. The network-device of claim 42, wherein the link monitor is operable to change a reference data rate according to a protocol identifier.

44. The network device of claim 42, wherein the network device comprises a visual indicator operable to be illuminated if the interface is in use.

45. The network device of claim 42, wherein the memory comprises a serializer/deserializer.