Full transmission control protocol off-load

• US 20030016669A1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Recio, Renato John, Pfister, Gregory Francis
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for a queue identification (QI) system which significantly reduces resources required to identify a process associated with receiving an incoming packet is provided. A QI mechanism is used as a TCP option. During a TCP connection establishment process, QI numbers are exchanged for both a sending port and a receiving port of the connection. After the connection is established, the destination QI'"'"'s number is inserted in a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header on outbound packets.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a transmission control protocol (TCP) off-load, comprising the steps of:

during establishment of a TCP connection, exchanging at least one queue identification number between a first port and a second port of the TCP connection; and

inserting at least one queue identification number in outbound data packets, wherein the first port of the TCP connection sends a data packet to the second port of the TCP connection and the second port of the TCP connection sends a data packet to the first port of the TCP connection.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first port of the TCP connection is a sending port and the second port of the TCP connection is a receiving port.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

employing a queue identification option to identify a TCP socket.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the TCP socket includes a software queue, a hardware queue, and a mixed software queue and hardware queue.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein employing a queue identification option to identify the TCP socket is employed in at least one of a software and hardware implementation.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the queue identification option is employed to lookup the TCP socket.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the queue identification option is employed to lookup the TCP socket for an incoming packet in at least one of a a software or a hardware implementation.

8. A system for enabling a transmission control protocol (TCP) off-load, comprising:

an exchange component, during establishment of a TCP connection, which exchanges at least one queue identification number between a first port and a second port of the TCP connection; and

an insertion component which inserts at least one queue identification number in outbound data packets, wherein the first port of the TCP connection sends a data packet to the second port of the TCP connection and the second port of the TCP connection sends a data packet to the first port of the TCP connection.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the first port of the TCP connection is a sending port and the second port of the TCP connection is a receiving port.

10. The system as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

an identification component which employs a queue identification option to identify a TCP socket.

11. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the TCP socket includes a software queue, a hardware queue, and a mixed software queue and hardware queue.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein employing a queue identification option to identify the TCP socket is employed in at least one of a software and hardware implementation.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the queue identification option is employed to lookup the TCP socket.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the queue identification option is employed to lookup the TCP socket for an incoming packet in at least one of a a software or a hardware implementation.