Systems and methods for accelerating TCP/IP data stream processing

• US 7,406,087 B1
• Filed: 11/08/2002
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Padmanabhan, Ramesh, Quach, Nhon T., Frailong, Jean Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US10/290,311
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-230, 370231-238, 370/252, 370/401, 370/395.5
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/43 Assembling or disassembling of packets, e.g. segmentation and reassembly [SAR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures

Abstract

A network device includes an interface (105), a TCP/IP protocol fast processing path (115), and a TCP/IP protocol slow processing path (110). The interface (105) receives a packet and parses the packets to determine a characteristic of the packet. The TCP/IP protocol fast processing path (115) processes the packet if the characteristic of the packet includes a first characteristic. The TCP/IP protocol slow processing path (110) processes the packet if the characteristic of the packet includes a second characteristic.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a packet;

parsing the packet to determine a type of the packet;

processing the packet using a network protocol fast processing path if the type of the packet comprises a first type, where the first type includes a TCP connection set-up (SYN) packet and processing the packet using the network protocol fast processing path includes implementing a fast re-transmit and recovery algorithm; and

processing the packet using a network protocol slow processing path if the type of the packet comprises a second type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network protocol comprises TCP/IP protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the slow processing path comprises software-implemented TCP/IP.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the fast processing path comprises hardware-implemented TCP/IP.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fast processing path comprises at least one of TCP input processing logic, TCP output processing logic and TCP/IP timer processing logic.

6. A network device, comprising:

an interface configured to;

receive a packet, and

parse the packet to determine a type of the packet;

a network protocol fast processing path configured to process the packet at least in part by implementing a fast re-transmit and recovery algorithm if the type of the packet comprises a first type, where the first type includes a TCP connection set-up (SYN) packet; and

a network protocol slow processing path configured to process the packet if the type of the packet comprises a second type.

7. The network device of claim 6, wherein the network protocol comprises TCP/IP protocol.

8. The network device of claim 7, wherein the slow processing path comprises software-implemented TCP/IP.

9. The network device of claim 7, wherein the fast processing path comprises hardware-implemented TCP/IP.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the fast processing path comprises at least one of TCP input processing logic, TCP output processing logic and TCP/IP timer processing logic.

11. A network device, comprising:

an interface configured to;

receive a packet,

parse the packet to identify a type of the packet;

a network protocol slow processing path configured to selectively process the packet when the type of the packet comprises a first type; and

a network protocol fast processing path configured to selectively process the packet at least in part by implementing a fast re-transmit and recovery algorithm when the type of the packet comprises a second type, where the second type includes a TCP connection set-up (SYN) packet.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the network protocol comprises TCP/IP protocol.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the slow processing path comprises software-implemented TCP/IP.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the fast processing path comprises hardware-implemented TCP/IP.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fast processing path comprises at least one of TCP input processing logic, TCP output processing logic and TCP/IP timer processing logic.

16. A network device, comprising:

an interface configured to parse each packet of an incoming packet stream to identify a type of each of the packets;

a network protocol fast processing path configured to;

receive at least a first portion of an incoming packet stream when the type of each of the packets comprising the incoming packet stream comprises a first type, where the first type includes a TCP connection set-up (SYN) packet, and

process the at least the first portion of the incoming packet stream at a first rate in accordance with the network protocol at least in part by implementing a fast re-transmit and recovery algorithm; and

a network protocol slow processing path configured to;

receive at least a second portion of the incoming packet stream when the type of each of the packets comprising the incoming packet stream comprises a second type, and

process the at least a second portion of the incoming packet stream at a second rate in accordance with the network protocol.

17. The network device of claim 16, wherein the network protocol comprises TCP/IP protocol.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the slow processing path comprises software-implemented TCP/IP.

19. The network device of claim 17, wherein the fast processing path comprises hardware-implemented TCP/IP.

20. The network device of claim 16, wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate.

21. A system for processing a packet, comprising:

means for receiving the packet;

means for parsing the packet to determine a type of the packet;

means for processing the packet using a TCP/IP protocol fast processing path if the type of the packet comprises a first type, where the first type includes a TCP connection set-up (SYN) packet and the means for processing the packet using a TCP/IP protocol fast processing path includes means for implementing a fast re-transmit and recovery algorithm; and

means for processing the packet using a TCP/IP protocol slow processing path if the type of the packet comprises a second type.