Internet small computer systems interface (iSCSI) distance acceleration device

• US 8,072,883 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Dunbar, J. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryman, Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRUTCHFIELD, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US11/238,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]

Abstract

An Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) distance acceleration device accelerates data transfers between an iSCSI initiator and an iSCSI target over a network, such as the Internet or a wide area network (WAN). The acceleration device resides in a communication path between the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target. The acceleration device receives an iSCSI protocol data unit (PDU) targeted to the iSCSI target by the iSCSI initiator. The acceleration device forwards the iSCSI PDU over the network to the iSCSI target and transmits a response to the iSCSI PDU that anticipates a response to be generated by the iSCSI target upon receiving the iSCSI PDU.

Claims

1. A Internet Protocol (IP)-based network, comprising:

an Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) target;

an iSCSI initiator sending an iSCSI negotiation request to the iSCSI target to start negotiating a value for a given parameter; and

a local acceleration device in a communication path between the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target, the local acceleration device intercepting the iSCSI negotiation request and negotiating the given parameter with the iSCSI initiator in place of the iSCSI target, without forwarding to the iSCSI target any iSCSI negotiation request to negotiate the given parameter; and

a remote acceleration device, in a communication path between the local acceleration device and the iSCSI target, negotiating a value for the given parameter with the iSCSI target in place of the iSCSI initiator, wherein

the iSCSI initiator and iSCSI target each transmits iSCSI protocol data units (PDUs) in accordance with the value each separately negotiated for the given parameter, and the local acceleration device comprises;

means for receiving an iSCSI PDU from the iSCSI initiator and for forwarding the iSCSI PDU to the iSCSI target;

means for generating a response to the iSCSI PDU that anticipates a response to be generated by the iSCSI target when the iSCSI target receives the iSCSI PDU, the generating means being in communication with the receiving and forwarding means in order to transmit the response generated by the generating means to the iSCSI initiator; and

means for forwarding the response generated by and received from the iSCSI target to the iSCSI initiator.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) write command and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written at the iSCSI target, and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI status message indicating a successful writing of the data.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written at the iSCSI target, and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.

5. The network of claim 1, further comprising an iSCSI device driver for negotiating an operational parameter with the iSCSI initiator.

6. A method of accelerating data transfers between an Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) initiator and an iSCSI target over a network, comprising:

sending, by the iSCSI initiator, an iSCSI negotiation request to the iSCSI target to start negotiating a value for a given parameter;

intercepting, by a local acceleration device in a communication path between the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target, the iSCSI negotiation request and negotiating the given parameter with the iSCSI initiator in place of the iSCSI target, without forwarding to the iSCSI target any iSCSI negotiation request to negotiate the given parameter;

negotiating, by a remote acceleration device in a communication path between the local acceleration device and the iSCSI target, a value for the given parameter with the iSCSI target in place of the iSCSI initiator;

transmitting, by the iSCSI initiator and iSCSI target, iSCSI protocol data units (PDUs) in accordance with the value separately negotiated by the iSCSI initiator and iSCSI target for the given parameter;

receiving an iSCSI PDU by the local acceleration device;

forwarding, by the local acceleration device, the iSCSI PDU over the network to the iSCSI target;

generating, by the local acceleration device, a response to the iSCSI PDU that anticipates a response to be generated by the iSCSI target when the iSCSI target receives the iSCSI PDU;

transmitting the response generated by the local acceleration device to the iSCSI initiator;

receiving, by the local acceleration device, the response generated by the iSCSI target; and

forwarding, by the local acceleration device, the iSCSI target'"'"'s response to the iSCSI initiator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) write command and the response generated by the local acceleration device and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written at the iSCSI target, and the response generated by the local acceleration device and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI status message.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written, and the response generated by the local acceleration device and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.

10. A Internet Protocol (IP)-based network, comprising:

an Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) target;

an iSCSI initiator sending an iSCSI negotiation request to the iSCSI target to start negotiating a value for a given parameter; and

a local acceleration device in a communication path between the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target, the local acceleration device intercepting the iSCSI negotiation request and negotiating the given parameter with the iSCSI initiator in place of the iSCSI target, without forwarding to the iSCSI target any iSCSI negotiation request to negotiate the given parameter; and

a remote acceleration device, in a communication path between the local acceleration device and the iSCSI target, negotiating a value for the given parameter with the iSCSI target in place of the iSCSI initiator, wherein

the iSCSI initiator and iSCSI target each transmits iSCSI protocol data units (PDUs) in accordance with the value each separately negotiated for the given parameter;

the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) initiator sends an iSCSI protocol data unit (PDU) to the iSCSI target; and

the local acceleration device (1) receives and forwards the iSCSI PDU to the iSCSI target, (2) generates a response to the iSCSI PDU that anticipates a response to be generated by the iSCSI target when the iSCSI target receives the iSCSI PDU, (3) transmits the generated response to the iSCSI initiator, “

(4) receives the response generated by the iSCSI target from the iSCSI target, and”

(5) forwards the response received from the iSCSI target to the iSCSI initiator.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) write command and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator by the local acceleration device encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.

12. The network of claim 10, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written at the iSCSI target, and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator by the local acceleration device encapsulates a SCSI status message indicating a successful writing of the data.

13. The network of claim 10, wherein the iSCSI PDU encapsulates data to be written at the iSCSI target, and the response generated and transmitted to the iSCSI initiator by the local acceleration device encapsulates a SCSI Ready-to-Transmit message.