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Method, network adapter, host system, and network device for implementing network adapter offload function

  • US 9,680,690 B2
  • Filed: 05/30/2014
  • Issued: 06/13/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for implementing a network adapter offload function by a network device that comprises a host system and a network adapter, the method comprising:

  • performing a data packet communication protocol determination to determine, according to a network adapter policy table stored in the network adapter or a host policy table stored in the host system, whether a data packet is a known data packet to the network adapter or an unknown data packet to the network adapter, wherein the network adapter policy table and the host policy table include policy entries, wherein each policy entry includes a policy type and an action, wherein the data packet is the known data packet when a communication protocol of the data packet matches a policy type of an existing policy entry in the network adapter policy table or the host policy table, wherein the data packet is the unknown data packet when the communication protocol of the data packet does not match a policy type of any existing policy entry in the network adapter policy table or the host policy table, wherein the data packet communication protocol determination is performed by the host system using the host policy table when the data packet is a downlink data packet, and wherein the data packet communication protocol determination is performed by the network adapter using the network adapter policy table when the data packet is an uplink data packet;

    performing, by the network adapter and according to an action of the existing policy entry in the network adapter policy table, a corresponding protocol stack offload operation for the known data packet;

    parsing the unknown data packet based on the determination that the communication protocol of the data packet is unknown to the network adapter;

    generating a new policy entry for the communication protocol of the unknown data packet; and

    updating the new policy entry for the communication protocol of the unknown data packet into the host policy table and the network adapter policy table.

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