Method and apparatus for performing energy-efficient network packet processing in a multi processor core system

• US 8,239,699 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hsin, Chih-Fan, Tsai, Jr-Shian, Tai, Tsung-Yuan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US12/459,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/324
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing core affinity for network packet processing is provided. Low-power idle state of a plurality of processing units in a system including the plurality of processing units is monitored. Network packet processing is dynamically reassigned to processing units that are in a non-low power idle state to increase the low-power idle state residency for processing units that are in a low-power idle state resulting in reduced energy consumption.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a filter driver associated with a network interface controller, low-power idle status of each of a plurality of processing units; and

adaptively re-assigning flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adaptively re-assigning flows comprises re-assigning the flows through an indirection table, the indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing units is performed by an operating system.

4. An article including a machine-accessible medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed, results in a machine performing:

monitoring, by a filter driver associated with a network interface controller, low-power idle status of each of a plurality of processing units; and

adaptively re-assigning flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

5. The article of claim 4, wherein adaptively re-assigning flows comprises re-assigning the flows through an indirection table, the indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned.

6. The article of claim 4, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing units is performed by an operating system.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of processing units; and

a filter driver associated with a network interface controller to monitor low-power idle status of each of the plurality of processing units and to adaptively re-assign flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned, the filter driver to adaptively re-assign flows by re-assigning the flows through the indirection table.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the filter driver is included in an operating system.

10. A system comprising:

a disk drive;

a plurality of processing units; and

a filter driver associated with a network interface controller to monitor low-power idle status of each of the plurality of processing units and to adaptively re-assign flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned, the filter driver to adaptively re-assign flows by re-assigning the flows through the indirection table.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the filter driver is included in an operating system.