Method and apparatus to reduce the cost of preparing the checksum for out bound data in network communication protocols by caching
First Claim
1. A method for re-using a checksum in a computer system coupled to a network, said method comprising:
- managing data in said computer system for transmission over said network;
associating said data with a checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network;
identifying whether said checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said data is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission; and
re-using said checksum during said second instance of data transmission over said network when said checksum is valid.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus that improves the efficiency of outbound data management for information transmitted over a communication network protocol by eliminating unnecessary operations related to the checksum when associated data has not changed since the last determination of the checksum. Overall computer system costs are reduced by eliminating checksum functionality on computer networking cards and thereby minimizing overall checksum functionality requirements in the computer system. The checksum that is derived on the first instance of data transmittal is cached. Thereafter, on subsequent transmissions of the data, the cached checksum may be re-used. Further, partial checksums can be calculated for portions of data that will be transmitted. The partial checksums may be combined to create a checksum that represents the aggregate of the data that will be transmitted.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for re-using a checksum in a computer system coupled to a network, said method comprising:
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managing data in said computer system for transmission over said network;
associating said data with a checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network;
identifying whether said checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said data is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission; and
re-using said checksum during said second instance of data transmission over said network when said checksum is valid. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method for re-using checksums in a computer system coupled to a network, said method comprising:
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managing data in said computer system for transmission over said network, said data comprising data packets;
partitioning a data packet into chunks;
wherein for each of said chunks, associating a chunk with a partial checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network, identifying whether said partial checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said chunk is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission, and re-using said partial checksum for said second instance of data transmission when said partial checksum is valid; and
combining each valid partial checksum into said checksum. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7)
determining a valid partial checksum for said chunk; and
combining said valid partial checksum with said checksum.
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7. The method as set forth in claim 3 further comprising;
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determining when a chunk includes partially used data;
determining a valid partial checksum for a chunk having partially used data; and
combining said valid partial checksum for said chunk having partially used data, with said checksum.
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8. A checksum caching apparatus for re-using a checksum in a computer system coupled to a network and having a procedure and data;
- said checksum caching apparatus comprising;
said data being associated with a checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network; and
a validity procedure executing in said computer system and identifying whether said checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said data is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission, and re-using said checksum during said second instance of data transmission over said network when said checksum is valid. - View Dependent Claims (9)
- said checksum caching apparatus comprising;
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10. A checksum caching apparatus for re-using checksums in a computer system coupled to a network and having a procedure and data, said data comprising data packets;
- said checksum caching apparatus comprising;
said data packets partitioned into chunks; and
a chunk procedure executing in said computer system, wherein for each of said chunks, said chunk procedure associating a chunk with a partial checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network, identifying whether said partial checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said chunk is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission, and combining each valid partial checksum into said checksum. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
- said checksum caching apparatus comprising;
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15. A computer readable memory device encoded with a data structure having entries, for re-using a checksum entry in a computer system coupled to a network and having a procedure entry and a data entry;
- said memory device comprising;
said data entry being associated with a checksum entry derived for a first instance of data entry transmission over said network; and
a validity procedure entry executing in said computer system and identifying whether said checksum entry is valid for a second instance of data entry transmission by determining whether said data entry is unaltered since said first instance of data entry transmission, and reusing said checksum entry during said second instance of data entry transmission over said network when said checksum entry is valid. - View Dependent Claims (16)
- said memory device comprising;
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17. A computer readable memory device encoded with a data structure having entries, for re-using a checksum entry in a computer system coupled to a network and having a procedure entry and a data entry, said data entry comprising data packets, said memory device comprising:
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said data packets partitioned into chunk entries; and
a chunk procedure entry executing in said computer system, wherein for each of said chunk entries, said chunk procedure entry associating a chunk entry with a partial checksum entry derived for a first instance of data entry transmission over said network, identifying whether said partial checksum entry is valid for a second instance of data entry transmission by determining whether said chunk entry is unaltered since said first instance of data entry transmission, and combining each valid partial checksum entry into said checksum entry. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, for re-using a checksum in a computer system coupled to a network, said article of manufacture comprising:
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computer readable program code for managing data in said computer system for transmission over said network;
computer readable program code for associating said data with a checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network;
computer readable program code for identifying whether said checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said data is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission; and
computer readable program code for re-using said checksum during said second instance of data transmission over said network when said checksum is valid. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for re-using a checksum in a computer system coupled to a network, said article of manufacture comprising:
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computer readable program code for managing data in said computer system for transmission over said network, said data comprising data packets;
computer readable program code for partitioning a data packet into chunks;
wherein for each of said chunks, computer readable program code for associating a chunk with a partial checksum derived for a first instance of data transmission over said network, identifying whether said partial checksum is valid for a second instance of data transmission by determining whether said chunk is unaltered since said first instance of data transmission, and re-using said partial checksum for said second instance of data transmission when said partial checksum is valid; and
computer readable program code for combining each valid partial checksum into said checksum. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification