Network file server having a message collector queue for connection and connectionless oriented protocols

• US 6,298,386 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1996
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: John, Aju, Tzelnic, Percy, Gupta, Uday, Ting, Dennis P. J., Vahalia, Uresh K
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US08/747,769
• Time in Patent Office: 1,784 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.49, 395/200.57, 395/675, 395/840, 395/841, 709/203, 709/219, 709/227, 709/213, 709/234, 709/231, 709/105, 710/21, 710/51, 710/52, 710/53, 710/54, 710/20, 710/29, 370/395, 711/149, 711/131, 711/118
• US Class Current: 709/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097

Abstract

There is a performance loss associated with servicing a pipe or stream for a connection oriented process by maintaining a connection between a server thread and a client for a series of messages. As a result of maintaining this connection, there is less balance; some threads work harder than others, causing a loss of performance. To solve this problem, a collector queue combines messages from the connection oriented process with messages from the other concurrent processes. The threads receive messages from the collector queue rather than individual pipes. Any idle thread can pick up a message from the collector queue. The collector queue keeps track of which pipe each message came from so that the reply of the server to each message is directed to the same pipe from which the message came from. Therefore the collector queue ensures thread balance and efficiency in servicing the messages. In the preferred implementation, each entry in the collector queue includes a message pointer and a pipe pointer. The message pointer points to allocated memory storing the message in a message buffer. The pipe pointer points to the pipe from which the message originated. The collector queue is a singly linked list. A free thread takes an entry off the collector queue, interprets the message of the entry, sends a reply, and deallocates the memory of the entry and the allocated memory storing the message in the message buffer.

Claims

1. A method of operating a file server to service messages of concurrent connection oriented processes and connectionless processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including pipes conveying messages of the connection oriented processes and at least one pipe conveying messages of the connectionless processes, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) the file server receiving messages from the pipes and placing them in a queue combining messages of the connection oriented processes with messages of the connectionless processes, and placing in the queue with each message an indication of the pipe from which the file server received said each message; and

(b) the file server receiving the messages from the queue and servicing the messages by interpreting the messages, formulating replies, and directing the replies to the pipes from which the file server received the messages for transmission to the clients from which the messages originated.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectionless processes are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) processes, and the connection oriented processes are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) processes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the file server places the messages in the queue in order as the file server receives the messages from the pipes, and the file server removes the messages from the queue in a first-in, first-out order for servicing.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the queue includes a list and a message buffer, and wherein the file server places each message in the queue by placing said each message in the message buffer and placing a pointer on the list to said each message in the message buffer.

5. A method of operating a file server to service messages of a connection oriented process concurrent with other processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including a pipe conveying messages of the connection oriented process, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) the file server receiving messages from the pipes and placing them in a queue combining messages of the connection oriented process with messages of the other processes, and placing in the queue with each message an indication of the pipe from which the file server received said each message; and

(b) threads of the file server receiving the messages from the queue, each of the threads servicing a respective message from the queue by interpreting the message, formulating a reply, and directing the reply to the pipe from which the file server received the respective message.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the file server places the messages in the queue in order as the file server receives the messages from the pipes, and the messages are removed from the queue in a first-in, first-out order for servicing by the threads.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each thread finished with servicing a message checks whether the queue is empty, and when said each thread finds that the queue is not empty, the thread services a next message from the queue, and when said each thread finds that the queue is empty, the file server suspends execution of the thread.

8. A method of operating a file server to service messages of connection oriented processes and connectionless processes concurrent with the connection oriented processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including respective pipes conveying messages of the connection oriented processes and at least one pipe conveying messages of the connectionless processes, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) the file server receiving messages from the pipes and placing them in a queue combining messages of the connection oriented processes with messages of the connectionless processes, and placing in the queue with each message an indication of the pipe from which the file server received said each message; and

(b) threads of the file server receiving the messages from the queue, each of the threads servicing a respective message from the queue by interpreting the message, formulating a reply, and directing the reply to the pipe from which the file server received the respective message.

9. A file server servicing clients in a network, said file server comprising, in combination:

a) first means for receiving messages transmitted by one client in a connection oriented process;

b) second means for receiving messages transmitted by other clients in other processes concurrent with the connection oriented process;

c) a queue for storing messages received by the first means for receiving and the second means for receiving;

the first means for receiving being connected to the queue for placing in the queue the messages received from said one client when the messages received from said one client are received, and the second means for receiving being connected to the queue for placing in the queue the messages received from said other clients when the messages received from said other clients are received from said other clients; and

d) means for servicing the messages in the queue.

10. The file server as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first means for receiving includes a first network link driver for a network link connecting said one client to the file server for communication in the connection oriented process, and the second means for receiving includes a second network link driver for a network link connecting a plurality of clients to the file server for communication in connectionless processes.

11. The file server as claimed in claim 10, wherein the connection oriented process is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) process, and the connectionless processes are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) processes.

12. The file server as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the means for receiving includes means for storing, in the queue, in association with each message, an indication of the means for receiving that received said each message, and wherein the means for servicing includes means for reading the indication associated with said each message for directing a reply to the means for receiving that received said each message.

13. The file server as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means for servicing includes a plurality of threads, each message in the queue being serviced by a respective one of the threads.

14. The file server as claimed in claim 13, wherein the means for servicing includes means for activating an idle one of the threads for servicing a message placed in the queue.

15. The file server as claimed in claim 14, wherein the queue includes a message buffer storing the messages in the queue, and a list of pointers to the messages stored in the message buffer.

16. A file server for servicing messages of a connection oriented process concurrent with other processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including a pipe conveying messages of the connection oriented process, said file server comprising, in combination:

(a) a queue for storing messages of the connection oriented process combined with messages of the other processes, and for storing an indication of the pipe from which the file server received each message; and

(b) a plurality of threads, each of the threads comprising a program executable in the file server for servicing a respective message from the queue by interpreting the message, formulating a reply, and directing the reply to the pipe from which the file server received the respective message.

17. The file server as claimed in claim 16, wherein each thread further includes programming executable after servicing a message for checking whether the queue is empty, and when the queue is found to be not empty, servicing a next message from the queue, and when the queue is found to be empty, suspending execution of the thread.

18. The file server as claimed in claim 17, wherein the file server includes means for activating a suspended one of the threads for servicing a message placed in the queue.

19. The file server as claimed in claim 16, wherein the connection oriented process is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) process, and the connectionless processes are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) processes.

20. The file server as claimed in claim 16, wherein the queue includes a message buffer and a list of pointers to the messages stored in the message buffer.

21. The file server as claimed in claim 20, wherein the list is a singly-linked list.

22. A method of operating a file server to service messages of a connection oriented process concurrent with other processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including a pipe conveying messages of the connection oriented process, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) the file server receiving messages from the pipes and placing them in a queue combining messages of the connection oriented process with messages of the other processes; and

(b) the file server obtaining messages from the queue and servicing the messages obtained from the queue.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the file server places in the queue, in association with the messages, indications of the pipes from which the messages are received, and wherein the file server reads from the queue the indications of the pipes from which the messages are received in order to direct replies to the messages to the pipes from which the messages are received.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the file server combines in the queue messages of connectionless processes with messages of connection oriented processes.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the connectionless processes are User Datagram Protocol (UDP) processes, and the connection oriented processes are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) processes.

26. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the file server places the messages in the queue in order as the file server receives the messages from clients in a data network, and the file server obtains the messages from the queue in a first-in, first-out order for servicing.

27. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the queue includes a list and a message buffer, and wherein the file server places each message in the queue by placing said each message in the message buffer and placing, in the list, a pointer to said each message in the message buffer.

28. A method of operating a file server to service messages of a connection oriented process concurrent with other processes, the messages originating from a plurality of clients in a data network, the messages being sent in a plurality of pipes to the file server, including a pipe conveying messages of the connection oriented process, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) the file server receiving messages from the pipes and placing them in a queue combining messages of the connection oriented process with messages of the other processes; and

(b) threads of the file server receiving the messages from the queue, each of the threads servicing a respective message from the queue.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the file server places in the queue, in association with each message, an indication of the pipe from which said each message is received.

30. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein each of the threads services the respective message from the queue by interpreting the message and formulating a reply.

31. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the file server combines in the queue messages of connectionless processes with messages of connection oriented processes.

32. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the file server places the messages in the queue in order as the file server receives the messages from clients in a data network, and the messages are removed from the queue in a first-in, first-out order for servicing by the threads.

33. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein each thread finished with servicing a message, checks whether the queue is empty, and when said each thread finds that the queue is not empty, the thread services a next message from the queue, and when said each thread finds that the queue is empty, the file server suspends execution of the thread.

34. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the queue includes a list and a message buffer, and wherein the file server places each message in the queue by placing said each message in the message buffer and placing, in the list, a pointer to said each message in the message buffer.