TCP offload device that load balances and fails-over between aggregated ports having different MAC addresses
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- performing TCP protocol processing on a TCP offload device such that a host coupled to the TCP offload device is offloaded of substantially all TCP protocol processing tasks associated with communicating network information across a TCP connection between the TCP offload device and a second device, a first port of the TCP offload device being identified by a first MAC address, a second port of the TCP offload device being identified by a second MAC address, the first port of the TCP offload device being used to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device; and
after a communication failure associated with the first port, switching from using the first port to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device to using the second port to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device, wherein after said switching the second port of the TCP offload device is identified by the first MAC address, wherein after said switching the TCP offload device performs substantially all TCP protocol processing associated with communicating said network information across the TCP connection via the second port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
TCP/IP traffic passing over a TCP connection is initially load balanced by a TCP offload network interface device (NID) in fast-path between multiple ports of an aggregation team. A failure then occurs on one of the ports. Processing of the TCP connection then switches to slow-path. The function of the failed port is then assumed by another functioning port of the team such that fast-path processing of the TCP connection by the TCP offload NID automatically resumes. The two ports of the TCP offload NID (the failed port and the port that assumes its functionality) use different MAC addresses. Fast-path load balancing and fail-over are therefore possible without the use of a Fast-Etherchannel switch that would have required the two ports to use the same MAC address.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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performing TCP protocol processing on a TCP offload device such that a host coupled to the TCP offload device is offloaded of substantially all TCP protocol processing tasks associated with communicating network information across a TCP connection between the TCP offload device and a second device, a first port of the TCP offload device being identified by a first MAC address, a second port of the TCP offload device being identified by a second MAC address, the first port of the TCP offload device being used to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device; and
after a communication failure associated with the first port, switching from using the first port to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device to using the second port to communicate said network information between the TCP offload device and the second device, wherein after said switching the second port of the TCP offload device is identified by the first MAC address, wherein after said switching the TCP offload device performs substantially all TCP protocol processing associated with communicating said network information across the TCP connection via the second port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method, comprising:
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load balancing network traffic between a first port of a TCP offload device and a second port of the TCP offload device, the network traffic being information communicated across a TCP connection between the TCP offload device and a second device, the first port being identified by a first MAC address, the second port being identified by a second MAC address; and
failing over from the first port to the second port such that the network traffic communicated across the TCP connection after the fail over is communicated via the second port and not via the first port, and wherein after the fail over the second port is identified by the first MAC address. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A set of instructions executable on a host, the host being coupled to a TCP offload network interface device, the set of instructions being for performing steps comprising:
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(a) controlling the TCP offload network interface device such that the TCP offload network interface device fast-path processes network communications communicated between the TCP offload network interface device and a second device, the network communications being communicated across a TCP connection, the network communications being communicated via a first port of the TCP offload network interface device;
(b) maintaining a list of teams, one of the teams including a first team member and a second team member, the first team member identifying the first port of the TCP offload device and having a MAC address field associated with the first port, a first MAC address being in the MAC address field of the first port, the second team member identifying a second port of the TCP offload device and having a MAC address field associated with the second port, a second MAC address being in the MAC address field of the second port;
(c) in response to a communication failure associated with the first port, writing the first MAC address into the MAC address field of the second port; and
(d) controlling the TCP offload network interface device such that the TCP offload network interface device communicates the network communications across the TCP connection via the second port and not via the first port, wherein the TCP offload network interface device fast-path processes the network communications after the failure, and wherein after the failure the second port of the TCP offload network interface device is associated with the first MAC address. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system comprising a network interface device operatively coupled to a host, the system comprising:
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a first physical port;
a second physical port; and
means for (a) load balancing first network traffic between the first physical port and the second physical port, the first network traffic being communicated across a single first TCP connection, wherein a first packet of the first TCP connection is communicated through the first physical port, wherein a second packet of the first TCP connection is communicated through the second physical port, and wherein during said load balancing the first physical port is identified by a first MAC address and the second physical port is identified by a second MAC address, and wherein the means is also for (b) failing over second network traffic communicated across a single second TCP connection, the second network traffic being failed over from one of the first and second physical ports to the other, wherein both before and after said fail over the network interface device fast-path processes the second network traffic of the second TCP connection such that the network interface device performs substantially all TCP protocol processing on the second network traffic and such that the host performs substantially no TCP protocol processing on the second network traffic. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification