Handling high throughput and low latency network data packets in a traffic management device

• US 9,313,047 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Michels, Tim S., Schmitt, Dave, Szabo, Paul I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guadalupe-Cruz, Aixa
• Application Number:
  US12/613,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20150049763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/107 using shared medium
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/108 using shared central buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/256 Routing or path finding in ATM switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/309 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/901 using storage descriptor, e.g. read or write pointers

Abstract

Handling network data packets classified as being high throughput and low latency with a network traffic management device is disclosed. Packets are received from a network and classified as high throughput or low latency based on packet characteristics or other factors. Low latency classified packets are generally processed immediately, such as upon receipt, while the low latency packet processing is strategically interrupted to enable processing coalesced high throughput classified packets in an optimized manner. The determination to cease processing low latency packets in favor of high throughput packets may be based on a number of factors, including whether a threshold number of high throughput classified packets are received or based on periodically polling a high throughput packet memory storage location.

Claims

1. A method for processing network data packets destined for applications with a plurality of throughput and latency requirements, the method comprising:

receiving by an application delivery controller apparatus data packets from a network;

classifying by the application delivery controller apparatus the data packets as high throughput classified and low latency classified based on one or more characteristics of each of the data packets, wherein the low latency classified packets are processed by a first processor and the high throughput classified packets are processed by a second processor;

storing by the application delivery controller apparatus the data packets in a respective one of a low latency packet queue or a high throughput packet queue based on the classification;

processing by the application delivery controller apparatus low latency classified packets from the low latency packet queue;

determining by the application delivery controller apparatus when a predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue; and

when it is determined that the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

interrupting by the application delivery controller apparatus the processing of the low latency classified packets and processing one or more high throughput classified packets from the high throughput packet queue; and

resuming by the application delivery controller apparatus the processing of the low latency classified packets upon processing a number of the high throughput classified packets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises at least one of:

polling a memory to determine whether the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

or

determining when any other condition exists such that high throughput classified packets should be processed instead of low latency classified packets.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising interrupting by the application delivery controller apparatus a processor upon at least one of the classifying the data packets or the storing the data packets in the low latency packet queue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein there are fewer data packets stored in the low latency packet queue than the high throughput packet queue when the interrupting of the processing of the low latency classified packets occurs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, classifying, storing, processing, determining, interrupting, and resuming steps are performed by a blade coupled to a chassis apparatus of the application delivery controller apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics are selected by a network traffic management application executed by a processor.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor of an application delivery controller device, causes the application delivery controller device to perform steps to and that comprise:

receive data packets from a network;

classify the data packets as high throughput classified and low latency classified based on one or more characteristics of each of the data packets, wherein the low latency classified packets are processed by a first processor and the high throughput classified packets are processed by a second processor;

store the data packets in a respective one of a low latency packet queue or a high throughput packet queue based on the classification;

process low latency classified packets from the low latency packet queue;

determine when a predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

when it is determined that the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

interrupt the processing of the low latency classified packets and processing one or more high throughput classified packets from the high throughput packet queue; and

resume the processing of the low latency classified packets upon processing a number of the high throughput classified packets.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the determining further comprises at least one of:

poll a memory to determine whether the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

or

determine when any other condition exists such that high throughput classified packets should be processed instead of low latency classified packets.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprises interrupt a processor upon at least one of the classifying the data packets or the storing the data packets in the low latency packet queue.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein there are fewer data packets stored in the low latency packet queue than the high throughput packet queue when the interrupting of the processing of the low latency classified packets occurs.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the receiving, classifying, storing, processing, determining, interrupting, and resuming steps are performed by a blade coupled to a chassis apparatus of an application delivery controller device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more characteristics are selected by a network traffic management application executed by a processor.

13. An application delivery controller apparatus comprising:

one or more processors configured to be capable of executing one or more traffic management applications;

a memory;

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

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

classify the data packets as high throughput classified and low latency classified based on one or more characteristics of each of the data packets, wherein the low latency classified packets are processed by a first processor and the high throughput classified packets are processed by a second processor;

store the data packets in a respective one of a low latency packet queue or a high throughput packet queue in the memory based on the classification;

process low latency classified packets from the low latency packet queue;

determine when a predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue; and

when it is determined that the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

interrupt the processing of the low latency classified packets and processing one or more high throughput classified packets from the high throughput packet queue; and

resume processing the low latency classified packets upon processing a number of the high throughput classified packets.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the determining further comprises at least one of:

poll the memory to determine whether the predetermined number of the data packets are stored in the high throughput packet queue;

or

determine when any other condition exists such that high throughput classified packets should be processed instead of low latency classified packets.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more processors or the network interface controller is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further to and that further comprises interrupt at least one of the one or more processors upon at least one of the classifying the data packets or the storing the data packets in the low latency packet queue.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein there are fewer data packets stored in the low latency packet queue than the high throughput packet queue when the interrupting of the processing of the low latency classified packets occurs.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the network interface controller comprises at least one of a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable logic device (FPLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), stored executable instructions, or any other configurable logic.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein classifying the data packets further comprises:

write a first pointer to a memory location of the data packets stored in the low latency packet queue into a first buffer index area in the memory; and

write a second pointer to another memory location of the data packets stored in the high throughput packet queue into a second buffer index area in the memory.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the application delivery controller apparatus comprises at least one of a blade coupled to an application delivery controller chassis device or a standalone application delivery controller device.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the low latency classified packets are processed by a first processor and the high throughput classified packets are processed by a second processor.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more characteristics are selected by the one or more network traffic management applications.