Operating system management of network interface devices

• US 8,806,250 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gatta, Srinivas Raghu, Srinivasan, Kamalavasan, Ritz, Andrew J., Thaler, David G., Anipko, Dmitry A., Malysh, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoynov, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US13/229,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/323, 455/574, 709/227, 717/172
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/405 Physical details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane of ATM switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/9068 in the network interface card
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Operating system management of network interface devices is described. In one or more implementations, a determination is made by an operating system that network traffic associated with one or more applications of the computing device has completed. Responsive to the determination, a network interface device is caused to transition to a mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device by the operating system.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

determining by an operating system that network traffic associated with one or more applications of the computing device has completed;

responsive to the determination, causing a network interface device to transition to a mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device by the operating system and maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address, by the operating system, while in the mode to reduce power consumption.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device causes the network interface device to idle.

3. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising causing the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point, by the operating system, while in the mode to reduce power consumption.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the mode to reduce power consumption upon receipt of a pre-registered notification.

5. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the notification is a push notification received via a network by the network interface device.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the operating system is responsible for communication between the one or more applications with the network interface device such that network traffic does not occur directly between the one or more applications and the network interface device.

7. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode, the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

8. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

9. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

10. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

11. A method as described in claim 7, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

12. A method as described in claim 11, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

13. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.

14. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode, the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

15. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

16. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

17. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

18. A method as described in claim 14, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

19. A method as described in claim 18, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

20. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.

21. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode; and

causing the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

22. A method as described in claim 21, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

23. A method as described in claim 21, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

24. A method as described in claim 21, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

25. A method as described in claim 21, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

26. A method as described in claim 21, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

27. A method as described in claim 21, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.

28. A computing device comprising one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:

determining by an operating system that network traffic associated with one or more applications of the computing device has completed;

responsive to the determination, causing a network interface device to transition to a mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device by the operating system and maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address, by the operating system, while in the mode to reduce power consumption.

29. A computing device as described in claim 28, wherein the mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device causes the network interface device to idle.

30. A computing device as described in claim 28, further comprising causing the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point, by the operating system, while in the mode to reduce power consumption.

31. A computing device as described in claim 28, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the mode to reduce power consumption upon receipt of a pre-registered notification.

32. A computing device as described in claim 31, wherein the notification is a push notification received via a network by the network interface device.

33. A computing device as described in claim 28, wherein the operating system is responsible for communication between the one or more applications with the network interface device such that network traffic does not occur directly between the one or more applications and the network interface device.

34. A computing device comprising one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode, the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

35. A computing device as described in claim 34, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

36. A computing device as described in claim 34, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

37. A computing device as described in claim 34, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

38. A computing device as described in claim 34, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

39. A computing device as described in claim 38, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

40. A computing device as described in claim 34, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.

41. A computing device comprising one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode, the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

42. A computing device as described in claim 41, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

43. A computing device as described in claim 41, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

44. A computing device as described in claim 41, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

45. A computing device as described in claim 41, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

46. A computing device as described in claim 45, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

47. A computing device as described in claim 41, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.

48. A computing device comprising one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising:

making a network interface device available to one or more applications of the computing device by an operating system when the network interface device is in a high power mode; and

making the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing device by the operating system when the network interface device is in a low power mode; and

causing the network interface device to maintain an Internet Protocol (IP) address while in the low power mode.

49. A computing device as described in claim 48, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to indicate to the one or more applications that an error has occurred.

50. A computing device as described in claim 48, wherein the making of the network interface device unavailable to the one or more applications of the computing devices causes the operating system to batch network traffic received from the one or more applications.

51. A computing device as described in claim 48, wherein the operating system causes the network interface device to maintain connectivity with a wireless access point while in the low power mode.

52. A computing device as described in claim 48, further comprising making another network interface device available to the one or more applications while the network interface device is made unavailable.

53. A computing device as described in claim 52, further comprising routing data received from the one or more applications and specified for communication using the network interface device that is made unavailable to the other network interface device.

54. A computing device as described in claim 48, wherein the network interface device is configured to wake from the low power mode upon receipt of a pre-registered push notification.