Method and apparatus for offloading network processes in a computer storage system

• US 8,185,633 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Hicks, Tom, Kazar, Michael L., Nydick, Daniel S., Reynolds, Andrew G., Sanzi, Richard N. Jr., Gohh, Fred, Graham, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/036,530
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 709225-229, 709 20-205, 709220-221
• US Class Current: 709/226
• 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 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A system and method for offloading network processes from main processors of a storage system and performing them on parallel processing modules. Embodiments of the present invention improve performance of a clustered storage system by performing certain network processes in an accelerator module of a storage system node. The accelerator module receives multi-protocol protocol data units (PDUs) from a network interface, performs protocol operations on the PDUs to form file system requests and passes the file system requests to a local D-module. If a file system request is directed to a non-local D-module in the cluster, the accelerator module repackages the request for transmission to the appropriate D-module and passes it back to the network without using local D-module processing resources or passing data over the system bus.

Claims

1. A method for accelerating computer storage system operations by a clustered computer storage system, comprising:

receiving a data packet by an accelerator module operatively connected to a first node in the clustered computer storage system, the accelerator module operatively connected to a local D-module;

forming a storage access request from the packet to determine whether the storage operating system request is directed to the local D-module or whether the storage access request is directed to a non-local D-module operatively connected to a second node in the clustered computer storage system; and

in response to determining that the storage access request is directed to the non-local D-module, communicating the storage access request to the non-local D-module, wherein the storage access request is communicated without using resources of the local D-module.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the resources of the local D-module comprise a system bus.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein communicating the storage access request is made without writing to the system bus.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising communicating only locally directed storage access requests to the local D-module using the system bus.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a protocol of the data packet; and

communicating the packet to a protocol handler module of the accelerator module.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the local D-module comprises a D-blade.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing demands for system memory resources of the first node using dedicated memory resources of the accelerator module.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising embodying the accelerator module as a kernel in a storage operating system of the first node.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first node comprises a network element module operatively connected to the local D-module.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the packet comprises a protocol data unit (PDU).

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing one or more stream connections for the data packet and providing instructions and data pointers to a protocol-specific protocol handler module of the accelerator module;

receiving the instructions and data pointers and forming a request to a cluster interface (CF) module of the accelerator module;

passing the request from the CF module to a stream transport (ST) module of the accelerator module; and

transforming the data packet into the storage access request.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing executable program instructions to be executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that receiving a data packet by an accelerator module operatively connected to a first node in a clustered computer storage system, the accelerator module operatively connected to a local D-module;

program instructions that form a storage access request from the packet to determine whether the storage access request is directed to the local D-module or whether the storage access request is directed to a non-local D-module operatively connected to a second node in the clustered computer storage system; and

program instructions that communicate, in response to determining that the storage access request is directed to the non-local D-module, the storage access request to the non-local D-module, wherein the storage access request is communicated without using resources of the local D-module.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

program instructions that establish one or more stream connections for the data packet and program instruction that provide instructions and data pointers to a protocol-specific protocol handler module of the accelerator module;

program instructions that receive the instructions and data pointers and forming a request to a cluster interface (CF) module of the accelerator module;

program instructions that pass the request from the CF module to a stream transport (ST) module of the accelerator module; and

program instructions that transform the data packet into the storage access request.

14. A computer data storage system operatively connected to an accelerator module, comprising:

means for receiving a data packet at the accelerator module operatively connected to a local D-module;

means for forming a request from the packet to determine whether the request is directed to the local D-module or whether the request is directed to a non-local D-module; and

means for communicating, in response to determining that the request is directed to the non-local D-module, the request to the non-local D-module without using resources of the local D-module.