Method to offload a network stack
First Claim
1. A method to offload a network stack state object and at least one associated protocol stack in a computer system environment from a first path going through a plurality of software layers to a peripheral device to a second path going from a switch layer to the peripheral device, the network stack state object having a cached state variable and at least one of a constant state variable and a delegated state variable, the method comprising the steps of:
- sending a request to offload the network stack state object from the switch layer to the peripheral device through the plurality of software layers, the request having a list of resource requirements;
if the network stack state object will be offloaded;
receiving an offload handle at least one of the plurality of software layers;
sending the network stack state object to the peripheral device from the at least one of the plurality of software layers; and
transferring buffers to the peripheral device from the switch layer.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method to offload a network stack connection is presented. A request, which includes a list of resource requirements from each software layer in the stack, to offload the network stack connection is sent through the stack to the peripheral device. The device allocates resources for the list and sends a handle to each of the software layers for communication with the device. The state for each layer is sent to the device that includes state variables that are classified as a constant, a cached variable handled by the CPU, or a delegated variable handled by the device.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. A method to offload a network stack state object and at least one associated protocol stack in a computer system environment from a first path going through a plurality of software layers to a peripheral device to a second path going from a switch layer to the peripheral device, the network stack state object having a cached state variable and at least one of a constant state variable and a delegated state variable, the method comprising the steps of:
- sending a request to offload the network stack state object from the switch layer to the peripheral device through the plurality of software layers, the request having a list of resource requirements;
if the network stack state object will be offloaded;
receiving an offload handle at least one of the plurality of software layers;
sending the network stack state object to the peripheral device from the at least one of the plurality of software layers; and
transferring buffers to the peripheral device from the switch layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
- sending a request to offload the network stack state object from the switch layer to the peripheral device through the plurality of software layers, the request having a list of resource requirements;
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32. A method to offload a network stack state object in a computer system environment from a first path going through a plurality of software layers to a peripheral device to a second path going from a switch layer to the peripheral device, the network stack state object having a cached variable and at least one of a constant state variable and a delegated state variable, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a request to offload the network stack state object from the switch layer, the request having a list of resource requirements;
deciding if the network stack state object will be offloaded;
if the network stack state object will be offloaded;
allocating resources;
passing an offload handle to at least one of the plurality of software layers;
receiving the network stack state object to the peripheral device from the at least one of the plurality of software layers; and
receiving buffers from the switch layer. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
- receiving a request to offload the network stack state object from the switch layer, the request having a list of resource requirements;
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37. A method to offload a network stack state object and at least one associated protocol stack in a computer environment from a first path going through a plurality of software layers to a peripheral device to a second path going from a switch layer to the peripheral device, the network stack state object having a cached state and at least one of a constant state and a delegated state, the method comprising the steps of:
- sending a request to offload the protocol stack to the peripheral device through the plurality of software layers, the request having a list of resource requirements;
if the protocol stack will be offloaded;
for each layer of the plurality of software layers, performing one of adding resource requirements to the list of resource requirements if the layer does not have an existing offload handle from a prior offload and adding the existing offload handle to the list of resource requirements;
sending a cached state to the peripheral device for each of the plurality of software layers that is offloading a state and that does not have an existing offload handle; and
transferring buffers to the peripheral device from the switch layer if the protocol stack has been offloaded. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
- sending a request to offload the protocol stack to the peripheral device through the plurality of software layers, the request having a list of resource requirements;
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46. A method to offload a protocol stack in a computer environment from a first path going through a plurality of software layers to a peripheral device to a second path going from a switch layer to the peripheral device comprising the steps of:
- receiving a request to offload the protocol stack, the request having a list of resource requirements and at least one existing offload handle for at least one of the plurality of software layers;
deciding if the protocol stack will be offloaded;
allocating resources to handle the list of resource requirements if the protocol stack will be offloaded; and
sending an offload handle to each layer of the plurality of layers that does not have an existing offload handle if the layer has offloaded a layer state object. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
- receiving a request to offload the protocol stack, the request having a list of resource requirements and at least one existing offload handle for at least one of the plurality of software layers;
Specification