Apparatus and method for hardware implementation or acceleration of operating system functions

• US 8,180,897 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Vantara, LLC (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Bluearc UK Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Barrall, Geoffrey S., Willis, Trevor, Benham, Simon, Cooper, Michael, Meyer, Jonathan, Aston, Christopher J., Winfield, John
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/889,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,864 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/229, 710/301
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus in one embodiment handles service requests over a network, wherein the network utilizes a protocol. In this aspect, the apparatus includes: a network subsystem for receiving and transmitting network service requests using the network protocol; and a service subsystem, coupled to the network subsystem, for satisfying the network service requests. At least one of the network subsystem and the service subsystem is hardware-implemented; the other of the network subsystem and the service subsystem may optionally be hardware-accelerated. A variety of related embodiments are also provided, including file servers and web servers.

Claims

1. Apparatus for handling service requests over a network, wherein the network utilizes a protocol, the apparatus comprising:

a network subsystem including a network receive interface for receiving service requests from the network using the network protocol and a network transmit interface for transmitting service responses to the network using the network protocol, the network subsystem further including a service output and a service input; and

a service subsystem for satisfying a first predetermined set of the network service requests, the service subsystem having (a) a service request receive interface coupled to the service output of the network subsystem and (b) a service request transmit interface coupled to the service input of the network subsystem for delivering data to the network subsystem satisfying the first predetermined set of network service requests;

the network subsystem including a first hardware data path running in a first direction from the network receive interface through the network subsystem to the service subsystem via the service output, a second hardware data path running in a second direction from the service subsystem via the service input through the network subsystem to the network transmit interface, and a processor for satisfying a second predetermined set of network service requests, the first hardware data path including a receive engine configured to selectively de-encapsulate data received via the network receive interface and convey de-encapsulated data associated with the first predetermined set of network service requests to the service subsystem via the service output entirely in hardware without handling by the processor and convey de-encapsulated data associated with the second predetermined set of network service requests to the processor for handling by the processor, the second hardware data path including a transmit engine configured to selectively transmit data satisfying the first predetermined set of network service requests, received from the service subsystem via the service input, to the network via the network transmit interface entirely in hardware without handling by the processor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service subsystem includes a service module, a file system module, and a storage module, wherein:

the service module is coupled to the network subsystem, the file system module is coupled to the service module, the storage module is coupled to the file system module and has an interface with a file storage arrangement; and

each of the service module, the file system module, and the storage module has (i) a first input and a first output corresponding to the first data path and (ii) a second input and a second output corresponding to the second data path.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least a first circuit board and a second circuit board, wherein the network subsystem is implemented on the first circuit board and the file system module is implemented on the second circuit board.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service requests include one of reading and writing data to a storage.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the storage is network disk storage accessible to computers over the network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the storage is local disk storage that is accessible to a local computer but not to any other computers over the network.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the storage is associated with the provision of E-Mail service over the network.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the storage provides access to web pages over the network.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network subsystem includes dedicated hardware that performs at least one major subsystem function including de-encapsulating encapsulated data from the network receive interface independently of a software program.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service subsystem includes dedicated hardware that performs at least one major subsystem function including receiving the de-encapsulated data independently of a software program.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the service requests involve access of data in a storage system, and the service subsystem also includes a module for managing storage of the data in the storage system, the module including hardware that performs at least one storage management function independently of a software program.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, such apparatus being a file server, wherein the data in the storage system are arranged in files, the service requests involve requests for files in the storage system, and the service subsystem also includes a module for managing a file system associated with the storage system, the module including hardware that performs at least one file system management function independently of a software program.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the protocol includes a file system protocol, the file system protocol defining operations including file read and file write.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, such apparatus being a web server, wherein the data in the storage system includes web pages, and at least some service requests involve requests for web pages in the storage system.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the storage system has a storage protocol and the service subsystem includes a module for interfacing with the storage system, the module including hardware that operates independently of a software program.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protocol includes IP.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network subsystem and the service subsystem are interconnected by a first unidirectional communication link over which de-encapsulated data associated with such requests is selectively conveyed by the network subsystem to the service subsystem and by a second unidirectional communication link over which data to satisfy network requests is selectively conveyed by the service subsystem to the network subsystem.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the service subsystem includes a service module, a file system module, and a storage module, wherein:

the service module is coupled to the network subsystem via the first unidirectional communication link and the second unidirectional communication link, the file system module is coupled to the service module, the storage module is coupled to the file system module and has an interface with a file storage arrangement; and

each of the service module, the file system module, and the storage module has (i) a first input and a first output corresponding to a first data path associated with the first unidirectional communication link and (ii) a second input and a second output corresponding to a second data path associated with the second unidirectional communication link.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising at least a first circuit board and a second circuit board, wherein the network subsystem is implemented on the first circuit board and the file system module is implemented on the second circuit board.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the service requests include one of reading and writing data to a storage.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the storage is network disk storage accessible to computers over the network.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the storage is local disk storage that is accessible to a local computer but not to any other computers over the network.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the storage is associated with the provision of E-Mail service over the network.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the storage provides access to web pages over the network.

25. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the network subsystem includes dedicated hardware that performs at least one major subsystem function including de-encapsulating encapsulated data from the network independently of a software program.

26. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the service subsystem includes dedicated hardware that performs at least one major subsystem function including receiving the de-encapsulated data independently of a software program.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the service requests may involve access of data in a storage system, and the service subsystem also includes a module for managing storage of the data in the storage system, the module including hardware that performs at least one storage management function independently of a software program.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, such apparatus being a file server, wherein the data in the storage system are arranged in files, the service requests involve requests for files in the storage system, and the service subsystem also includes a module for managing a file system associated with the storage system, the module including hardware that performs at least one file system management function independently of a software program.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the protocol includes a file system protocol, the file system protocol defining operations including file read and file write.

30. The apparatus according to claim 27, such apparatus being a web server, wherein the data in the storage system include web pages, and at least some service requests involve requests for web pages in the storage system.

31. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the storage system has a storage protocol and the service subsystem includes a module for interfacing with the storage system, the module including hardware that operates independently of a software program.

32. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the protocol includes IP.

33. The apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

a first plurality of network subsystems for receiving and transmitting network service requests over the network using the network protocol;

a second plurality of service subsystems, for satisfying a first predetermined set of the network service requests;

wherein the network subsystems and the service subsystems are interconnected by a first unidirectional communication link over which de-encapsulated data associated with such requests is selectively conveyed by the network subsystems to the service subsystems and by a second unidirectional communication link over which data to satisfy network requests is selectively conveyed by the service subsystems to the network subsystems.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein each of the first and second unidirectional communication links includes a switch.

35. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein each of the first and second unidirectional communication links includes a bus.

36. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the service subsystem further comprises:

a first plurality of service modules that receive network service requests and fulfill such service requests and in doing so issue data storage access requests;

a second plurality of file system modules that receive data storage access requests and fulfill such storage access requests and in doing so issue storage arrangement access requests to a storage arrangement;

wherein the service modules and the file system modules are interconnected by a first unidirectional communication link over which data associated with the storage access requests is selectively conveyed by the service modules to the file system modules and by a second unidirectional communication link over which data to fulfill the storage access requests is selectively conveyed by the file system modules to the service modules.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein each of the first and second unidirectional communication links includes a switch.

38. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein each of the first and second unidirectional communication links includes a bus.

39. The apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising:

a third plurality of storage modules that receive storage arrangement access requests and control the storage arrangement to fulfill such storage arrangement access requests;

wherein the file system modules and the storage modules are interconnected by a third unidirectional communication link for conveying data from the file system modules to the storage modules and by a fourth unidirectional communication link for conveying data from the storage modules to the file system modules.

40. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein each of the third and fourth unidirectional communication links includes a switch.

41. The apparatus according to claim 39, wherein each of the third and fourth unidirectional communication links includes a bus.