Systems and methods for idle driven scheduling

• US 8,886,981 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baumann, William R., Lewites, Saul
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Paul R
• Application Number:
  US13/234,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20140344429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections

Abstract

A system and method of idle driven scheduling in a network device is disclosed. An interrupt signal is received from a timer, wherein a network processing component of a network device awakes from sleep mode of a first sleep duration for a first cycle upon receiving the interrupt signal. Load information of a computer processing unit in the network device for the first cycle is determined. A second sleep duration is selected for the network processing component in a second cycle based on the load information, wherein the second sleep duration is different from the first sleep duration. The timer is then instructed to send the interrupt signal to the network processing component at an expiration of the second sleep duration.

Claims

1. A method comprising of idle driven scheduling in a network device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a network device an interrupt signal from a timer, wherein a network processing component of the network device awakes from sleep mode of a first sleep duration for a first cycle upon receiving the interrupt signal;

determining, by the network device, load information of a computer processing unit in the network device for the first cycle;

selecting, by the network device, a second sleep duration for the network processing component in a second cycle based on the load information, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled a predetermined amount of non network-traffic procedures in the first cycle; and

instructing, by the network device, the timer to send the interrupt signal to the network processing component at an expiration of the second sleep duration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled non network-traffic procedures for a predetermined amount of time during the first cycle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second sleep duration is shorter than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit was idle for a predetermined amount of time in the first cycle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network processing component queries an operating system of the network device to obtain the load information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network processing component automatically goes into sleep mode after instructing the timer of the second sleep duration, wherein the network processing component yields the computer processing unit.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for idle driven scheduling comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

receive an interrupt signal from a timer, wherein a network processing component of a network device awakes from sleep mode of a first sleep duration for a first cycle upon receiving the interrupt signal;

determine load information of a computer processing unit in the network device for the first cycle;

select a second sleep duration for the network processing component in a second cycle based on the load information, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled a predetermined amount of non network-traffic procedures in the first cycle; and

instruct the timer to send the interrupt signal to the network processing component at an expiration of the second sleep duration.

7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled non network-traffic procedures for a predetermined amount of time during the first cycle.

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the second sleep duration is shorter than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit was idle for a predetermined amount of time in the first cycle.

9. The medium of claim 6, wherein the network processing component queries an operating system of the network device to obtain the load information.

10. The medium of claim 6, wherein the network processing component automatically goes into sleep mode after instructing the timer of the second sleep duration, wherein the network processing component yields the computer processing unit.

11. A network device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors by a bus; and

a network interface controller coupled to the one or more processors and the memory and configured to be capable of receiving and forwarding data packets from a network that relate to a plurality of applications;

at least one of the one or more processors configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory and the network interface controller with logic configured to;

receive an interrupt signal from a timer, wherein a network processing component of a network device awakes from sleep mode of a first sleep duration for a first cycle upon receiving the interrupt signal;

determine load information of a computer processing unit in the network device for the first cycle;

select a second sleep duration for the network processing component in a second cycle based on the load information, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled a predetermined amount of non network-traffic procedures in the first cycle; and

instruct the timer to send the interrupt signal to the network processing component at an expiration of the second sleep duration.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the second sleep duration is longer than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit handled non network-traffic procedures for a predetermined amount of time during the first cycle.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the second sleep duration is shorter than the first sleep duration when the load information indicates the computer processing unit was idle for a predetermined amount of time in the first cycle.

14. The network device of claim 11, wherein the network processing component queries an operating system of the network device to obtain the load information.

15. The network device of claim 11, wherein the network processing component automatically goes into sleep mode after instructing the timer of the second sleep duration, wherein the network processing component yields the computer processing unit.