DATA BUFFERING AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20080016236A1
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bigfoot Networks, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beverly, Harlan T., Musta, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An interceptor program at a computer device intercepts certain externally initiated communications intended for the peer program before those communications are placed on the network stack. Further, the interceptor program stores the received communications in a buffer in application space, rather than kernel space. The interceptor program can then intercept polling requests from the peer program inquiring if data for the peer program is located at the network stack, and provide the buffered communications to the peer program in response. Because the communications are stored in application space, rather than kernel space, the data can be rapidly provided to the peer program, improving the speed with which the program can respond to the client communications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first message from a network;

determining that the first message is targeted for a first program at a host device;

storing an indication in a temporary buffer that the first message has been received in response to determining that the first message is targeted to the first program, the temporary buffer separate from a network stack at the host device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second message from the network;

determining that the second message is targeted for a second program at the host device;

storing the second message in the network stack at the host device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the temporary buffer is located in application space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the network stack is located in kernel space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary buffer is located in a network device remote from the host device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting a first network stack request from the first program;

providing an indication to the first program that the first message is available in response to intercepting the first network stack request.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining that the first message is available based on data stored at the temporary buffer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first network stack request is selected from the group consisting of a non-blocking select request, a blocking select request, and an asynchronous select request.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing the first message to the first program in response to an indication that the first message is available asynchronously.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein storing an indication in the temporary buffer comprises storing the first message in the temporary buffer:

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

intercepting a first network stack request from the first program;

providing the first message to the first program in response to intercepting the first network stack request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first network stack request is selected from the group consisting of a non-blocking receive request, a blocking receive request, an asynchronous receive request.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the first message at the network stack.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporary buffer is located in application space, and further comprising storing the first message in kernel space.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting a first network stack request from the first program;

providing an indication that data is not available to the first program in based on data stored at the temporary buffer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the temporary buffer is located in application space.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing the first message to the first application in response to the interrupt request.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving an interrupt request from a network device, the interrupt request indicating a first message has been received;

notifying a first program at a host device that the first message has been received in response to the interrupt request;

receiving a second message from the network device; and

storing the second message in a network stack.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing an indication that the first message has been received in a temporary buffer at the host device in response to receiving the interrupt request.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the temporary buffer is located in application space.

21. A computer readable medium configured to store instructions to manipulate a processor, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a first message from a network;

instructions to determine at a network device that the first message is targeted for a first program at a host device;

instructions to store an indication in a temporary buffer at the host device that the first message has been received in response to determining that the first message is targeted to the first program;

instructions to receive a second message from the network;

instructions to determine that the second message is targeted for a second program at the host device;

instructions to store the second message in a network stack at the host device, the network stack separate from the temporary buffer.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the temporary buffer is located in application space.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the network stack is located in kernel space.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions to provide an interrupt indication to the host device in response to determining that the first message is targeted to the first program at the host device.

25. A network device, comprising:

an input configured to receive a first message from a network;

a processor configured to determine if the first message is targeted to a first program at a host device;

an output configured to store an indication in a temporary buffer at the host device in response to the processor determining that the first message is targeted to the first program, the temporary buffer located in application space at the host device.

26. The network device of claim 25, wherein the output is further configured to provide the first message to a network stack at the host device in response to the processor determining that the first message is targeted to a second program at the host device, the network stack located in kernel space of the host device.

27. The network device of claim 25, wherein the output is configured to provide an interrupt to the host device in response to the processor determining that the first message is targeted to the first program.

28. The network device of claim 25, wherein the output is configured to store the first message in the temporary buffer.