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`icati
`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76
`Application Number
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`Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
`
`Title of Invention
`
`The application data sheetis part of the provisional or nonprovisional application for which it is being submitted. The following form contains the
`bibliographic data arrangedin a format specified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office as outlined in 37 CFR 1.76.
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`Inventor
`1
`Legal Name
`
`
`Prefix) Given Name
`
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`
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`() Active US Military Service
`©) NonUS Residency
`(@) US Residency
`Residence Information (Select One)
`Saratoga
`State/Province
`Country of Residence |
`| US
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`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
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`
`Address 1
`20605 Montalvo Heights Drive
`Address 2
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`Postal Code
`
`95070
`
`US
`
`Inventor
`Legal Name
`
`2
`
`
`
`Blightman
`a.
`Stephen
`©) NonUS Residency
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`(©) Active US Military Service
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`City|San Jose State/Province|CA Country of Residence i|US
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`3733 Arlen Court
`Address 1
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`
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`
`Inventor
`3
`Legal Name
`
`Peter
`
`Middle Name
`K.
`
`Family Name
`Craft
`
`
`
`Residence Information (Select One) (©) Active US Military Service (@) US Residency ©) NonUS Residency
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`
`EFS Web 2.2.8
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`City
`Postal Code
`
`San Jose
`
`| 95132
`
`| State/Province
`| Country i
`| US
`
`| CA
`
` Given Name
`
`

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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`Attorney Docket Number|ALA-002B
`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76
`Application Number
`
`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
`
`
`
`
`
`
`City|San Franscisco | Country of Residencei|US State/Province | CA
`
`
`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
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`
`
`
`Address 1 156 Henry Street
`Address 2
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`City
`| San Francisco
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`| CA
`
`Postal Code
`| 94114
`| Country i
`| US
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`
`Inventor
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`Prefix} Given Name
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`Address 1
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`2012 Palm Vista Drive
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`
`Apopka
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`FL
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`5
`Legal Name
`
`
`Given Name
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`
`Clive
`M.
`Philbrick
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`Residence Information (Select One)
`(@) US Residency
`©) NonUS Residency
`(©) Active US Military Service
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`City | San Jose State/Province|CA | Country of Residence i|US
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`
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`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
`
`1170 Roycott Way
`Address 1
`Address 2
`
`City
`
`San Jose
`
`State/Province
`
`CA
`
`6
`Inventor
`Legal Name
`Prefix} Given Name
`Middle Name
`Family Name
`fotiS
`Residence Information (Select One)
`(@) US Residency
`©) NonUS Residency
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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`Attorney Docket Number|ALA-002B
`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`Mark@SiliconEdgeLaw.com
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`Application Information:
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`Title of the Invention
`Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
`Attorney Docket Number| ALA-002B Small Entity Status Claimed [|
`Application Type
`Nonprovisional
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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`oo Attorney Docket Number|ALA-002B
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`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`Prior Application Status|Pending
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`Continuation of
`09692561
`2000-10-18
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`09692561
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`09067544
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`1998-04-28
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`6226680
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`2001-05-01
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`1997-10-14
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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`PTO/AIA/14 (03-13)
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`INTELLIGENT NETWORKINTERFACE SYSTEM
`
`AND METHOD FOR ACCELERATED PROTOCOL PROCESSING
`
`Cross Reference to Related Applications
`
`This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of (is a continuationof)
`
`U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/692,561, fited October 18, 2000, which in turn
`
`claimsthe benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of (is a continuation of) U.S. Patent Application
`
`Serial No. 09/067,544, filed April 28, 1998, now U.S. Patent No. 6,226,680, which
`
`10
`
`claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Patent Application Serial No.
`
`60/061,809, filed October 14, 1997. The complete disclosure ofall of the above
`
`applications is incorporated by reference herein.
`
`Technical Field
`
`15
`
`The present invention relates generally to computer or other networks, and more
`
`particularly to protocol processing for information communicated between hosts such as
`
`computers connected to a network.
`
`Background
`
`20
`
`The advantages of network computing are increasingly evident. The convenience
`
`and efficiency of providing information, communication or computational powerto
`
`individuals at their personal computer or other end user devices has led to rapid growth of
`
`such network computing, including internet as well as intranet systems and applications.
`
`
`
`ALA-002B
`
`I
`
`CAVIUM-1002
`Cavium, Inc. v. Alacritech, Inc.
`
`

`

`Asis well known, most network computer communication is accomplished with
`
`the aid of a layered software architecture for moving information between host computers
`
`connected to the network. The layers help to segregate information into manageable
`segments,the general functions of each layer often based on an international standard
`
`called Open Systems Interconnection (OSI). OSI sets forth seven processing layers
`
`through which information may pass when received by a host in orderto be presentable
`
`to an end user. Similarly, transmission of information from a host to the network may
`
`pass through those seven processing layers in reverse order. Each step of processing and
`
`service by a layer may include copying the processed information. Another reference
`
`10
`
`modelthat is widely implemented, called TCP/IP (TCP stands fortransport control
`
`protocol, while IP denotes internet protocol) essentially employs five of the seven layers
`
`of OSI.
`
`Networks may include, for instance, a high-speed bus such as an Ethernet
`
`connection or an internet connection between disparate local area networks (LANs), each
`
`15
`
`of which includes multiple hosts, or any of a variety of other known meansfor data
`
`transfer between hosts. According to the OSI standard, physical layers are connected to
`
`the network at respective hosts, the physical layers providing transmission and receipt of
`
`raw data bits via the network. A data link layer is serviced by the physical layer of each
`
`host, the data link layers providing frame division and error correction to the data
`
`20
`
`received from the physical layers, as well as processing acknowledgmentframes sent by
`
`the receiving host. A network layer of each host is serviced by respective data link
`
`layers, the networklayers primarily controlling size and coordination of subnets of
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`packetsof data.
`
`ALA-002B
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`A transport layer is serviced by each network layer and a session layeris serviced
`
`by cach transport layer within each host. Transport layers accept data from their
`
`respective session layers and split the data into smaller units for transmission to the other
`
`host’s transport layer, which concatenates the data for presentation to respective
`
`presentation layers. Session layers allow for enhanced communication control between
`
`the hosts. Presentation layers are serviced by their respective session layers, the
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`presentation layers translating between data semantics and syntax which maybe peculiar
`
`to each host and standardized structures of data representation. Compression and/or
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`encryption of data may also be accomplished at the presentation level. Application layers
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`10
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`are serviced by respective presentation layers, the application layers translating between
`
`programsparticular to individual hosts and standardized programsfor presentation to
`
`either an application or an end user. The TCP/IP standard includes the lower four layers
`
`and application layers, but integrates the functions of session laycrs and presentation
`
`layers into adjacent layers. Generally speaking, application, presentation and session
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`15
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`layers are defined as upper layers, while transport, network and datalink layers are
`
`defined as lowerlayers.
`
`The rules and conventions for each layerare called the protocol of that layer, and
`
`since the protocols and general functions of each layer are roughly equivalent in various
`
`hosts, it is useful to think of communication occurring directly between identical layers of
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`20
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`different hosts, even though these peer layers do not directly communicate without
`
`information transferring sequentially through each layer below. Each lowerlayer
`
`performsa service for the layer immediately above it to help with processing the
`
`communicated information. Each layer saves the information for processing and service
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`to the next layer. Due to the multiplicity of hardware and software architectures, systems
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`and programs commonly employed, each layer is necessary to insure that the data can
`
`makeit to the intended destination in the appropriate form, regardless of variations in
`hardware and sofiware that may intervene.
`
`In preparing data for transmission fromafirst to a second host, some control data
`
`is addedat each layer of the first host regarding the protocol of that layer, the control data
`
`being indistinguishable from the original (payload) data forall lower layers of that host.
`
`Thus an application layer attaches an application header to the payload data and sends the
`
`combineddatato the presentation layer of the sending host, which receives the combined
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`data, operates on it and adds a presentation headerto the data, resulting in another
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`combined data packet. The data resulting from combination of payload data, application
`
`headerand presentation header is then passed to the session layer, which performs
`
`required operations including attaching a session headerto the data and presenting the
`
`resulting combination of data to the transport layer. This process continues as the
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`15
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`information moves to lower layers, with a transport header, network headerand data link
`
`headerandtrailer attached to the data at each of those layers, with each step typically
`
`including data moving and copying, before sending the data as bit packets overthe
`
`network to the second host.
`
`The receiving host generally performs the converse of the above-described
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`20
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`process, beginning with receiving the bits from the network, as headers arc removed and
`
`data processed in order from the lowest (physical) layer to the highest (application) layer
`
`before transmission to a destination of the receiving host. Each layerof the receiving
`
`host recognizes and manipulates only the headers associated with that layer, since to that
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`layer the higher layer contro! data is included with and indistinguishable from the
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`payload data. Multiple interrupts, valuable central processing unit (CPU) processing time
`
`and repeated data copies may also be necessary for the receiving host to place the data in
`
`an appropriate form at its intended destination.
`
`The above description of layered protocol processing is simplified, as college-
`
`level textbooks devoted primarily to this subject are available, such as Computer
`
`Networks, Third Edition (1996) by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, whichis incorporated herein
`
`by reference. As defined in that book, a computer networkis an interconnected
`
`collection of autonomous computers, such as internet and intranet systems, including
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`10
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`local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), asynchronoustransfer mode
`
`(ATM),ring or token ring, wired, wireless, satellite or other means for providing
`
`communication capability between separate processors. A computeris defined herein to
`
`include a device having both logic and memory functions for processing data, while
`
`computers or hosts connected to a networkare said to be heterogeneousif they function
`
`according to different operating systems or communicate via different architectures.
`
`As networks grow increasingly popular and the information communicated
`
`thereby becomesincreasingly complex and copious, the need for such protocol
`
`processing has increased. It is estimated that a large fraction of the processing powerof a
`
`host CPU may be devoted to controlling protocol processes, diminishing the ability of
`
`20
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`that CPU to perform other tasks. Network interface cards have been developed to help
`
`with the lowest layers, such as the physical and data link layers. It is also possible to
`
`increase protocol processing speed by simply adding more processing power or CPUs
`
`according to conventional arrangements. This solution, however, is both awkward and
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`expensive. But the complexities presented by various networks, protocols, architectures,
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`operating systems and applications generally require extensive processing to afford
`
`communication capability between various networkhosts.
`
`Summary of the Invention
`
`The current invention provides a system for processing network communication
`
`that greatly increases the speed of that processing and the efficiency of moving the data
`
`being communicated. The invention has been achieved by questioning the long-standing
`
`practice of performing multilayered protocol processing on a general-purpose processor.
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`10
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`The protocol processing method andarchitecture that results effectively collapses the
`
`layers of a connection-based, layered architecture such as TCP/IP into a single wider
`
`layer whichis able to send network data more directly to and from a desired location or
`
`buffer on a host. This accelerated processing is provided to a host for both transmitting
`
`and receiving data, and so improves performance whether one or both hosts involved in
`
`15
`
`an exchange of information have such a feature.
`
`The accelerated processing includes employing representative control instructions
`
`for a given messagethat allow data from the message to be processed via a fast-path
`
`which accesses messagedata directly at its source or deliversit directly to its intended
`
`destination, This fast-path bypasses conventional protocol processing of headers that
`
`20
`
`accompany the data. The fast-path employs a specialized microprocessordesigned for
`
`processing network communication, avoiding the delays and pitfalls of conventional
`
`software layer processing, such as repeated copying and interrupts to the CPU. In effect,
`
`the fast-path replacesthe states that are traditionally found in several layers of a
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`conventional network stack with a single state machine encompassingall those layers, in
`
`contrast to conventional rules that require rigorous differentiation and separation of
`
`protocol layers. The host retains a sequential protocol processing stack which can be
`employed forsetting up a fast-path connection or processing message exceptions. The
`
`specialized microprocessor and the hostintelligently choose whether a given message or
`
`portion of a message is processed by the microprocessororthe host stack.
`
`Brief Description of the Drawings
`
`FIG, 1 is a plan view diagramof a systemof the present invention, including a
`
`10
`
`host computer having a communication-processing device for accelerating network
`
`communication.
`
`FIG. 2 is a diagram of information flow for the host of FIG. 1 in processing
`
`network communication, including a fast-path,