Obtaining a destination address so that a network interface device can write network data without headers directly into host memory

• US 7,945,699 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alacritech, Inc.
• Inventors: Higgen, David A., Philbrick, Clive M., Boucher, Laurence B., Craft, Peter K., Blightman, Stephen E. J., Starr, Daryl D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US12/325,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709225-229, 709230-232, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 5/10 having a sequence of storage locations each being individually accessible for both enqueue and dequeue operations, e.g. using random access memory G06F5/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9042 Separate storage for different parts of the packet, e.g. header and payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9063 Intermediate storage in different physical parts of a node or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/166 IP fragmentation; TCP segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 : Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 : Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A Network Interface device (NI device) coupled to a host computer receives a multi-packet message from a network (for example, the Internet) and DMAs the data portions of the various packets directly into a destination in application memory on the host computer. The address of the destination is determined by supplying a first part of the first packet to an application program such that the application program returns the address of the destination. The address is supplied by the host computer to the NI device so that the NI device can DMA the data portions of the various packets directly into the destination. In some embodiments the NI device is an expansion card added to the host computer, whereas in other embodiments the NI device is a part of the host computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network interface that is coupled to a computer, a plurality of packets each containing data, a network layer header and a transport layer header;

obtaining a destination for the data in a memory of the computer, such that information that is later stored in the destination will be controlled by an application running on the computer that is above the transport layer;

providing an indication of the destination from the computer to the network interface; and

transferring the data to the destination, without transferring the network layer headers or the transport layer headers of the plurality of packets to the destination, and without processing the network layer headers or the transport layer headers by the computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the destination for the data in the memory of the computer includes providing, by the network interface to the computer, a session layer header from one of the packets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is denoted by a port number in the transport layer header of the packets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the network interface, the data from the packets as a contiguous block prior to transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination includes transferring the data as a contiguous block.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the data to the destination is performed by the network interface.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the destination for the data in the memory of the computer includes providing, by the network interface to the computer, a session layer header from one of the packets.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network interface that is coupled to a computer, a plurality of packets each containing data, a network layer header and a transport layer header, wherein the data is for an application running on the computer;

providing, by the network interface to the computer, a session layer header from one of the packets;

analyzing, by the computer, the session layer header, including obtaining a destination for the data in a memory of the computer, such that information that is later stored in the destination will be controlled by the application; and

transferring the data to the destination, without transferring the network layer headers or the transport layer headers of the plurality of packets to the destination, and without processing the network layer headers or the transport layer headers by the computer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing, by the network interface, the data from the packets as a contiguous block prior to transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination includes transferring the data as a contiguous block.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the application is denoted by a port number in the transport layer header of the packets.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein transferring the data to the destination is performed by the network interface.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the packets correspond to a TCP connection identified by source and destination IP addresses and source and destination TCP ports.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network interface that is coupled to a computer, a plurality of packets each containing data, a network layer header and a transport layer header, wherein the data is for an application running on the computer;

providing, by the network interface to the computer, a header portion of one of the packets;

analyzing, by the computer, the header portion, including obtaining a destination for the data in a memory of the computer, such that information that is later stored in the destination will be controlled by the application; and

transferring the data to the destination, without transferring the network layer headers or the transport layer headers of the plurality of packets to the destination, and without processing the network layer headers or the transport layer headers by the computer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing, by the network interface, the data from the packets as a contiguous block prior to transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring, by the network interface, the data to the destination includes transferring the data as a contiguous block.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the application is denoted by a port number in the transport layer header of the packets.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring the data to the destination is performed by the network interface.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the packets correspond to a TCP connection identified by source and destination IP addresses and source and destination TCP ports.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the header portion includes a session layer header.