Network presence offloads to network interface

• US 9,104,406 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dabagh, Alireza, Nagampalli, Narasimha Rao S.S., Combs, Robert C., Malysh, Alexander, Venkataramaiah, Narasimhan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US12/350,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,407 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/220, 709223-224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computing device that has a network interface that performs a subset of possible networking functions while the computing device is in a sleep mode. The subset of functions may be simply implemented on the network interface, yet to substantially reduce the frequency with which the computing device has to wake up to perform networking functions. The subset of functions may be selected to maintain a network presence of the computing device while the device is in sleep mode, and may include responding to requests for MAC information, sending keep-alive messages or exchanging security information that, in accordance with network protocols, has a limited lifetime that would otherwise expire while the computing device is in sleep mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a network interface of a computing device, information on one or more capabilities of a network presence offload component of the network interface, including information on first and second network presence offload functions supported by the network presence offload component;

configuring the network presence offload component, based on the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component, to perform the first network presence offload function during a low power state, the configuring performed through a single offload interface that is an interface between an operating system of the computing device and a device driver for the network interface;

allocating, based on the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component, the second network presence offload function to be performed by a processor of the computing device during the low power state;

responsive to the computing device transitioning to the low power state, enabling the network presence offload component of the network interface;

in response to receiving a message over the network connection, providing, via the network presence offload component, a reply over the network connection without waking up other components of the computing device, the reply being based at least in part on the message being associated with the network presence offload function; and

storing information associated with the reply in the network presence offload component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component and the configuring comprise communicating with the network interface through a driver according to a Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network presence offload function comprises sending, at a defined rate, keep-alive packets using a Teredo protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring occurs during initialization of the network interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network presence offload component comprises one component of a plurality of network presence offload components;

the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component comprises receiving information on the one or more capabilities of the plurality of network presence offload components;

the configuring comprises configuring the plurality of network presence offload components; and

the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the plurality of network presence offload components and the configuring are performed via a plurality of interfaces in the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising waking up the computing device in response to receiving a different message that is determined to not trigger the network presence offload function.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises at least one of an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request, a Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) Neighbor Solicitation (NS) request, an IPv4 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request, and an IPv6 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the stored information associated with the reply from the network presence offload component to a processor of the computing device responsive to the computing device exiting the low power state.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the network presence offload component of the network interface responsive to the computing device exiting the low power state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first network presence offload function comprises, in response to receiving an authentication request, providing a response in accordance with a handshake protocol using at least one encryption key;

renegotiating a different encryption key to maintain the wireless connection; and

providing a reply that includes the different encryption key.

11. A computing device comprising:

a network interface comprising a network presence offload component; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the computing device, perform operations including;

receiving, from the network interface, information on one or more capabilities of a network presence offload component of the network interface, including information on first and second network presence offload functions supported by the network presence offload component;

providing a command to the network interface to configure the network presence offload component based at least in part on the information on the network presence offload component, the configuring performed through a single offload interface that is an interface between an operating system of the computing device and a device driver for the network interface; and

responsive to the providing, causing the network interface to perform the first network presence offload function by performing operations including;

enabling, responsive to the computing device transitioning to a low power state, the network presence offload component of the network interface;

after receiving a message over the network, providing, via the network presence offload component, a reply over the network without waking up other components of the computing device; and

responsive to the computing device exiting the low power state, transferring data collected in association with the reply to the computing device and disabling the network presence offload component; and

allocating, based on the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component, the second network presence offload function to be performed by a processor of the computing device during the low power state.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the providing the command to the network interface to configure the network presence offload component comprises providing a command to the network interface to configure the network presence offload component to send, at a defined rate, keep-alive packets using a Teredo protocol to maintain a connection of the computing device to the network.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the providing the command to the network interface to configure the network presence offload component comprises providing a command to the network interface to configure the network presence offload component to provide a defined number of replies over the network.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the reply is based at least in part on the network presence offload component negotiating an encryption key to maintain a network connection such that the negotiated encryption key is usable by the network presence offload component in a handshake protocol as part of maintaining the network connection, the operations further including:

causing the network interface to store the negotiated encryption key within the network presence offload component; and

providing the stored encryption keys to an operating system of the computing device responsive to disabling the network presence offload component.

15. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more hardware processors, cause the system to perform operations including;

receiving, from the network interface of a computing device, information on one or more capabilities of a network presence offload component, including information on first and second network presence offload functions supported by the network presence offload component;

configuring the network presence offload component, based on the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component, to perform the first network presence offload function during a low power state, the configuring performed through a single offload interface that is an interface between an operating system of the computing device and a device driver for the network interface;

allocating, based on the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component, the second network presence offload function to be performed by a processor of the computing device during the low power state;

responsive to the computing device transitioning to the low power state, enabling the network presence offload component of the network interface;

in response to receiving a message over the network connection, providing, via the network presence offload component, a reply over the network connection without waking up other components of the computing device, the reply being based at least in part on the message being associated with the network presence offload function; and

storing information associated with the reply in the network presence offload component.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component and the configuring comprise communicating with the network interface through a driver according to a Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS).

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first network presence offload function comprises sending, at a defined rate, keep-alive packets using a Teredo protocol.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the configuring occurs during initialization of the network interface.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the network presence offload component comprises one component of a plurality of network presence offload components;

the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the network presence offload component comprises receiving information on one or more capabilities of the plurality of network presence offload components;

the configuring comprises configuring the plurality of network presence offload components; and

the receiving the information on the one or more capabilities of the plurality of network presence offload components and the configuring are performed via a plurality of interfaces in the computing device.

20. The system of claim 15, the operations further including waking up the computing device in response to receiving a different message that is determined to not trigger the network presence offload function.