Method and apparatus for performing energy-efficient network packet processing in a multi processor core system

• US 20100332869A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hsin, Chin-Fan, Tai, Tsung-Yuan C., Tsai, Jr-Shian
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing core affinity for network packet processing is provided. Low-power idle state of a plurality of processing units in a system including the plurality of processing units is monitored. Network packet processing is dynamically reassigned to processing units that are in a non-low power idle state to increase the low-power idle state residency for processing units that are in a low-power idle state resulting in reduced energy consumption.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring low-power idle status of each of a plurality of processing units; and

adaptively re-assigning flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adaptively re-assigning flows comprises re-assigning the flows through an indirection table, the indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing units is performed by an operating system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing unites is performed by a driver associated with a network interface controller.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the driver is a filter driver.

6. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

monitoring low-power idle status of each of a plurality of processing units; and

adaptively re-assigning flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

7. The article of claim 6, wherein adaptively re-assigning flows comprises re-assigning the flows through an indirection table, the indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned.

8. The article of claim 6, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing units is performed by an operating system.

9. The article of claim 6, wherein the monitoring of low-power idle status of the plurality of processing unites is performed by a driver associated with a network interface controller.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of processing units; and

a module to monitor low-power idle status of each of the plurality of processing units and to adaptively re-assign flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

an indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned, the module to adaptively re-assign flows by re-assigning the flows through the indirection table.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the module is included in an operating system.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the module is a driver associated with a network interface controller.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the driver is a filter driver.

15. A system comprising:

a disk drive to store data packets associated with flows received from a network;

a plurality of processing units; and

a module to monitor low-power idle status of each of the plurality of processing units and to adaptively re-assign flows assigned to processing units having low power idle status to other processing units having non-low power idle status to reduce energy consumption by the plurality of processing units.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an indirection table including a plurality of entries, each entry including an identification of a processing unit to which a flow associated with a queue is assigned, the module to adaptively re-assign flows by re-assigning the flows through the indirection table.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the module is included in an operating system.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the module is a driver associated with a network interface controller.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the driver is a filter driver.