METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING INFORMATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT STREAMING PROTOCOLS AT WIRE SPEED

• US 20130311690A1
• Filed: 07/26/2013
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Ibrahim, Rahim, Tran, Nghiep, Nguyen, Tuan, Ng, Chan, Cihla, James L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,804,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/74
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0813 with a network or matrix configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1081 for peripheral access to main memory, e.g. direct memory access [DMA]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/126 with special data handling, e.g. priority of data or instructions, handling errors or pinning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/263 Network storage, e.g. SAN or NAS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism for fast routing of data in a Storage Area Network. A protocol interface module (PIM) interfaces with outside networks and the storage devices, such as over fiber channel (FC). The PIM encapsulates received data into a streaming protocol, enabling storage processors to direct data to/from the appropriate physical disk in a similar manner to the directing of network messages over the Internet or other network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a protocol interface module disposed in a communication path between an external host and an external storage device and adapted to encapsulate data received from the external host in a first streaming protocol into a second streaming protocol, the protocol interface module having a field extraction engine and a packet classifier, wherein the field extraction engine is operable to inspect a frame received in the first streaming protocol and determine a type of action for the received data, and wherein the packet classifier is operable to insert a frame type code corresponding to the determined type of action into a header field of a frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data; and

a storage processor disposed in the communication path between the external host and the external storage device and adapted to direct data received from the protocol interface module in the second streaming protocol to the storage device, the storage processor having a classifier, one or more protocol processor, and one or more general purpose processor, wherein the classifier is operable to read the frame type code in the header field of the frame of the second streaming protocol and assign the frame to a protocol processor of the one or more protocol processor or a general purpose processor of the one or more general purpose processor based upon the frame type code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the classifier of the storage processor comprises a hardware classifier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage processor is operable to manage an address space of the external storage device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein address space management provided by the storage processor includes translation between virtual addresses used by the external host and physical addresses used by the external storage device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the classifier of the storage processor is operable to assign the frame to a protocol processor if the type code corresponds to a read or write operation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the classifier of the storage processor is operable to assign the frame to a general purpose processor if the type code corresponds to any operation other than read or write.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of protocol interface modules are coupled to the storage processor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the protocol interface module is operable to inspect a header of a received frame of the first streaming protocol and identify contextual information and determine frame destination information using the contextual information, and wherein the storage controller is operable to route the frame of the second streaming protocol based on the frame destination information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more protocol processor comprises a plurality of protocol processor, wherein the storage controller routes the frame of the second streaming protocol to a particular protocol processor of the plurality of protocol processors using the frame destination information.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

one or more storage controller disposed in the communication path between the external host and the external storage device and adapted to provide control of a plurality of physical storage devices comprising the external storage device, wherein the storage controller routes the frame of the second streaming protocol to the one or more storage controller using the frame destination information.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the protocol interface module is operable to generate a descriptor from the destination information and to encapsulate the descriptor within the frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data, and wherein the storage processor is operable to use the descriptor to route the frame of the second streaming protocol.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a look up table correlating providing correlation between frame contextual information and frame destination information, wherein the protocol interface module uses the look up table to determine the frame destination information using the contextual information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the use of the look up table and frame destination information by the protocol interface module and the storage processor is adapted to avoid buffering of an entire incoming frame of the first streaming protocol.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, by a protocol interface module disposed in a communication path between an external host and an external storage device, data frames from the external host in a first streaming protocol;

inspecting, by a field extraction engine of the protocol interface module, a frame received in the first streaming protocol;

determining, by the field extraction engine, a type of action for data of the received frame;

encapsulating, by the protocol interface module, at least a portion of the data of the received frame into a second streaming protocol;

inserting, by a packet classifier of the protocol interface module, a frame type code corresponding to the determined type of action into a header field of a frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data;

receiving, by a storage processor disposed in the communication path between the external host and the external storage device, the frame of the second streaming protocol, wherein the storage processor includes one or more protocol processor and one or more general purpose processor;

reading, by a classifier of the storage processor, the frame type code in the header field of the frame of the second streaming protocol; and

assigning, by the storage processor, the frame of the second streaming protocol to a protocol processor of the one or more protocol processor or a general purpose processor of the one or more general purpose processor based upon the frame type code to thereby direct data received from the protocol interface module in the second streaming protocol to the storage device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the classifier of the storage processor comprises a hardware classifier.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

managing, by the storage processor, an address space of the external storage device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the managing the address space comprises:

translating between virtual addresses used by the external host and physical addresses used by the external storage device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the assigning the frame of the second streaming protocol comprises:

assigning the frame to a protocol processor if the type code corresponds to a read or write operation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the assigning the frame of the second streaming protocol further comprises:

assigning the frame to a general purpose processor if the type code corresponds to any operation other than read or write.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

identifying, by the protocol interface module, contextual information from an inspection of a header of a received frame of the first streaming protocol;

determining, by the protocol interface module, frame destination information using the contextual information; and

routing, by the storage controller, the frame of the second streaming protocol based on the frame destination information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more protocol processor comprises a plurality of protocol processor, and wherein the routing comprises:

routing the frame of the second streaming protocol to a particular protocol processor of the plurality of protocol processors using the frame destination information.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the routing comprises:

routing the frame of the second streaming protocol to a storage controller using the frame destination information.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating, by the protocol interface module, a descriptor from the destination information; and

encapsulating the descriptor within the frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data, wherein the storage processor is operable to use the descriptor to route the frame of the second streaming protocol.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

correlating, by the protocol interface module, frame contextual information and frame destination information using a look up table, wherein the protocol interface module uses the look up table to determine the frame destination information using the contextual information.

25. A method comprising:

receiving, by a protocol interface module disposed in a communication path between an external host and an external storage device, data frames from the external host in a first streaming protocol;

inspecting, by a field extraction engine of the protocol interface module, a frame received in the first streaming protocol;

determining, by the field extraction engine, a type of action for data of the received frame;

identifying, by the protocol interface module, contextual information from an inspection of a header of a received frame of the first streaming protocol;

determining, by the protocol interface module, frame destination information using the contextual information;

encapsulating, by the protocol interface module, at least a portion of the data of the received frame into a second streaming protocol;

inserting, by a packet classifier of the protocol interface module, a frame type code corresponding to the determined type of action into a header field of a frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data; and

encapsulating information regarding the frame destination information within the frame of the second streaming protocol encapsulating at least a portion of the received data.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, by a storage processor disposed in the communication path between the external host and the external storage device, the frame of the second streaming protocol, wherein the storage processor includes one or more protocol processor and one or more general purpose processor;

reading, by a classifier of the storage processor, the frame type code in the header field of the frame of the second streaming protocol; and

assigning, by the storage processor, the frame of the second streaming protocol to a protocol processor of the one or more protocol processor or a general purpose processor of the one or more general purpose processor based upon the frame type code to thereby direct data received from the protocol interface module in the second streaming protocol to the storage device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the classifier of the storage processor comprises a hardware classifier.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the assigning the frame of the second streaming protocol comprises:

assigning the frame to a protocol processor if the type code corresponds to a read or write operation.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the assigning the frame of the second streaming protocol further comprises:

assigning the frame to a general purpose processor if the type code corresponds to any operation other than read or write.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

routing, by the storage controller, the frame of the second streaming protocol based on the frame destination information.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the one or more protocol processor comprises a plurality of protocol processor, and wherein the routing comprises:

routing the frame of the second streaming protocol to a particular protocol processor of the plurality of protocol processors using the frame destination information.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the routing comprises:

routing the frame of the second streaming protocol to a storage controller using the frame destination information.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

generating, by the protocol interface module, a descriptor from the destination information, wherein the information regarding the frame destination information comprises the descriptor, and wherein the storage processor is operable to use the descriptor to route the frame of the second streaming protocol.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

correlating, by the protocol interface module, frame contextual information and frame destination information using a look up table, wherein the protocol interface module uses the look up table to determine the frame destination information using the contextual information.