Method for increasing I/O performance in systems having an encryption co-processor

• US 9,325,492 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Godwin, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Debnath, Suman
• Application Number:
  US12/660,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 380 36- 38, 380/29, 380/277, 713/189, 713/193, 713/190
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for improving performance while transferring encrypted data in an input/output (I/O) operation are provided. The method includes receiving a block of data. The method also includes dividing the block of data into a plurality of sub-blocks of data. The method further includes performing a first operation on a first sub-block. The method also includes performing a second operation on a second sub-block at substantially the same time as performing the first operation on the first sub-block. The method still further includes reassembling the plurality of sub-blocks into the block of data.

Claims

1. A method for transferring encrypted data in an input/output (I/O) operation, the method comprising:

receiving a block of data to be transferred between a local data storage device and a local host memory;

dividing the block of data within a data splitting engine into an “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data based on performance capabilities of the encryption processor and its interrupt processing time;

performing a data transfer operation sequentially on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, the data transfer operation comprising operations preceding and including a frame information structure (FIS) being received at the local data storage device;

performing a data encryption or decryption operation at an encryption processor on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, at least a portion of the data transfer operation on a sub-block of data being performed concurrently with at least a portion of the data encryption or decryption operation performed on a next sequential sub-block of data within the encryption processor;

changing the value of “

N”

based on performance metrics of the sub-blocks of data;

reassembling the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data into the block of data; and

storing the reassembled block of data at the local host memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transfer operation further comprises a scatter/gather operation and a FIS construction operation associated with the local data storage device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data encryption or decryption operation comprises queuing the next sequential sub-block of data to the encryption processor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the local data storage device comprises a hard disk drive coupled to the host memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transferred to or from a network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data is dynamically adjusted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the encryption processor comprises an encryption co-processor.

8. A system for transferring encrypted data in an input/output (I/O) operation, the system comprising:

a data splitting engine configured to;

receive a block of data to be transferred between a local data storage device and a local host memory,

divide the block of data into an “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data, and

reassemble the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data into the block of data;

a processor configured to perform a data transfer operation sequentially on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, the data transfer operation comprising operations preceding and including a frame information structure (FIS) being received at the local storage device;

an encryption processor in communication with the processor, the encryption processor configured to perform a data encryption or decryption operation on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, wherein at least a portion of the data encryption or decryption operation on a sub-block of data is performed concurrently with at least a portion of the data transfer operation performed on a next sequential sub-block of data in the sequence;

wherein the data splitting engine is configured to change the value of “

N”

based on performance metrics of the sub-blocks of data and divide the block of data into the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data based on performance capabilities of the encryption processor and its interrupt processing time; and

a local host memory that stores the reassembled block of data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the data transfer operation further comprises a scatter/gather operation and a FIS construction operation associated with the local data storage device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data encryption or decryption operation comprises queuing the next sequential sub-block of data to the encryption processor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the local data storage device comprises a hard disk drive coupled to the host memory.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the data is transferred to or from a network device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data is dynamically adjusted.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the encryption processor is an encryption co-processor.

15. A computer program product for transferring encrypted data in an input/output (I/O) operation, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that when executed cause a data processing system to perform:

receiving a block of data to be transferred between a local data storage device and a local host memory;

dividing the block of data into an “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data at a data splitting engine based on performance capabilities of the encryption processor and its interrupt processing time;

performing a data transfer operation sequentially on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, the data transfer operation comprising operations preceding and including a frame information structure (FIS) being received at the local data storage device;

performing a data encryption or decryption operation at an encryption processor on the “

N”

sub-blocks of data, at least a portion of the data encryption or decryption operation on a sub-block of data being performed concurrently with at least a portion of the data transfer operation performed on a next sequential sub-block of data in the sequence;

changing the value of “

N”

based on performance metrics of the sub-blocks of data,

reassembling the “

N”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data into the block of data; and

storing the reassembled block of data at the local host memory.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data transfer operation further comprises a scatter/gather operation and a FIS construction operation associated with the local data storage device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the data encryption or decryption operation comprises queuing the next sequential sub-block of data to the encryption processor.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the local data storage device comprises a hard disk drive coupled to the host memory.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the data is transferred to or from a network device.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the “

IN”

number of interleaved sub-blocks of data is dynamically adjusted.