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`Approved for use through 01/31/2014. OMB 0651-0032
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`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76
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`
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`Application Number
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`
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`The application data sheetis part of the provisional or nonprevisional application for which it is being submitted. The following form contains the
`bibliographic data arranged in a format specified by the United States Patent and Trademark Cffice as outlined in 37 CFR 1.76.
`This document may be completed electronically and submitted to the Office in electronic format using the Electronic Filing System (EFS) or the
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`Secrecy Order 37 CFR 5.2
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`Inventor Information:
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`1
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`Inventor
`Legal Name
`Suffix
`Family Name
`Prefix]GivenName Middle Name
`
`Laurence
`B.
`Boucher
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`ResidenceInformation (Select One)
`(@) US Residency
`©) NonUSResidency
`() Active US Military Service
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`City
`Saratoga
`State/Province
`CA
`Country of Residence i] Us
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`Address 1
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`Address 2
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`20605 Montalvo Heights Drive
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`Postal Code
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`95070
`
`US
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`2
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`Inventor
`Legal Name
`Prefix]GivenName Middle Name
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`Family Name
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`Suffix
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`(©) Active US Military Service
`©) NonUS Residency
`(@) US Residency
`ResidenceInformation (Select One)
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`City|San Jose State/Province|CA Country of Residence!|US
`
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`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
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`Address 2
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`
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`3733 Arlen Court
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` Address1
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`
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`Postal Code
`US
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`3
`Inventor
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`Legal Name
`Prefix]GivenName Middle Name
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`
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`Family Name
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`ResidenceInformation (Select One)
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`(#) US Residency
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`©) NonUS Residency
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`(©) Active US Military Service
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`City|San Franscisco State/Province|CA Country of Residencei|US
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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
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`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76 Application Number
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
`
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`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
`
`Address1
`Address 2
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`City
`San Francisco
`| State/Province
`CA
`
`94114 Country iPostal Code US
`
`
`156 Henry Street
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`
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`4
`Inventor
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`Legal Name
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`
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`Middle Name Family NamePrefix; Given Name Suffix
`David
`A.
`Higgen
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`2012 Palm Vista Drive
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`City
`Apopka
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`FL
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`Postal Code
`Country i
`US
`32712
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`5
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`Inventor
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`Prefix]GivenName Middle Name
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`Clive
`M.
`Philbrick
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`City|San Jose State/Province|CA Country of Residence!|US
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`Address 1
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`Address 2
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`1170 Roycott Way
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`Postal Code
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`95125
`
`Us
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`6
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`Inventor
`Legal Name
`Prefix]GivenName Middle Name
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`Family Name
`
`Suffix a
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`(#) US Residency © NonUS Residency ©) Active US Military Service
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`City Country of Residence!|USState/Province
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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
`Approved for use through 01/31/2014. OMB 0651-0032
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76 Application Number
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
`
`
`
`Mailing Addressof Inventor:
`
`Address1
`
`Address 2
`
`446 Folsom Court
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`95035
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`US
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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 [|
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`Continuation of
`09692561
`2000-10-18
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`(YYYY-MM-DD)
`Patent Number
`(YYYY-MM-DD)
`09692561
`Continuation of
`1998-04-28
`6226680
`2001-05-01
`09067544
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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
`Approved for use through 01/31/2014. OMB 0651-0032
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
`Approved for use through 01/31/2014. OMB 0651-0032
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`Underthe Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it contains a valid OMB control number.
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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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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
`Approved for use through 01/31/2014. OMB 0651-0032
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`Underthe Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it contains a valid OMB control number.
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`Application Data Sheet 37 CFR 1.76 Application Number
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`Title of Invention|Intelligent Network Interface System and Method for Protocol Processing
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`Applicant
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`1995 North First Street
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`Address 2
`Suite 200
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`PTO/AIAM14 (03-13)
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`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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`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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`INTELLIGENT NETWORK INTERFACE SYSTEM
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`AND METHOD FOR ACCELERATED PROTOCOL PROCESSING
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`Cross Reference to Related Applications
`
`This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of(is a continuation of)
`
`U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/692,561, filed 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
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`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 of all of the above
`
`applications is incorporated by reference herein.
`
`Technical Field
`
`The present invention relates generally to computer or other networks, and more
`
`particularly to protocol processing for information communicated between hosts such as
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`computers connected to a network.
`
`Background
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`20
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`The advantages of network computing are increasingly evident. The convenience
`
`and efficiency of providing information, communication or computational powerto
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`individuals at their personal computer or other end user devices has led to rapid growth of
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`such network computing, including internet as well as intranet systems and applications.
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`Asis well known, most network computer communication is accomplished with
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`the aid of a layered software architecture for moving information between host computers
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`connected to the network. The layers help to segregate information into manageable
`seaments,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 whenreceived by a host in order to be presentable
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`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
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`service by a layer may include copying the processed information. Another reference
`
`10
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`modelthat is widely implemented, called TCP/IP (TCP stands for transport control
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`protocol, while IP denotes internet protocol) essentially employs five of the seven layers
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`of OSI.
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`Networks may include, for instance, a high-specd bus such as an Ethernet
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`connection or an internet connection between disparate local area networks (LANs), each
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`15
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`of which includes multiple hosts, or any of a variety of other known meansfor data
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`transfer between hosts. According to the OSI standard, physical layers are connected to
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`the network at respective hosts, the physical layers providing transmission andreceipt of
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`raw data bits via the network. A data link layer is serviced by the physical layer of each
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`host, the data link layers providing frame division and error correction to the data
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`20
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`received from the physical layers, as well as processing acknowledgment frames sent by
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`the receiving host. A network layer of each host is serviced by respective data link
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`layers, the network layers primarily controlling size and coordination of subnets of
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`packets ofdata.
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`A transport layer is serviced by each network layerand a session layer is serviced
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`by each transport layer within each host. Transport layers accept data from their
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`respective session layers and split the data into smaller units for transmission to the other
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`host’s transport layer, which concatenates the data for presentation to respective
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`presentation layers. Session layers allow for enhanced communication control between
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`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
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`to each host and standardized structures of data representation. Compression and/or
`
`encryption of data may also be accomplishedat the presentation level. Application layers
`
`10
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`ate serviced by respective presentation layers, the application layers translating between
`
`programsparticular to individual hosts and standardized programsfor presentation to
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`either an application or an end user. The TCP/IP standard includes the lower four layers
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`and application layers, but integrates the functions of session layers and presentation
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`layers into adjacent layers. Generally speaking, application, presentation and session
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`layers are defined as upper layers, while transport, network and data link layers are
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`defined as lowerlayers.
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`The rules and conventions for each layer are called the protocol ofthat layer, and
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`since the protocols and general functions of each layer are roughly equivalent in various
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`hosts, it is useful to think of communication occurring directly between identical layers of
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`different hosts, even though these peerlayers do not directly communicate without
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`information transferring sequentially through each layer below. Each lowerlayer
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`performsa service for the layer immediately aboveit to help with processing the
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`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
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`makeit to the intended destination in the appropriate form, regardless of variations in
`hardware and software that may intervene.
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`In preparing data for transmission fromafirst to a second host, some control data
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`is addedat eachlayerofthefirst host regarding the protocol of that layer, the control data
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`being indistinguishable from the original (payload)data for all lowerlayers of that host.
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`Thusan application layer attaches an application header to the payload data and sends the
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`combined data to 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
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`headerand presentation headeris then passed to the session layer, which performs
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`required operations including attaching a session header to the data and presenting the
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`resulting combination of data to the transport layer. This process continues as the
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`information movesto lower layers, with a transport header, network header and data link
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`headerandtrailer attached to the data at each of those layers, with each step typically
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`including data moving and copying, before sending the data as bit packets over the
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`network to the second host.
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`The receiving host generally performs the converse of the above-described
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`process, beginning with receiving the bits from the network, as headers are removed and
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`data processed in order from the lowest (physical) layer to the highest (application) layer
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`before transmission to a destination of the receiving host. Each layer of the receiving
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`host recognizes and manipulates only the headers associated with that layer, since to that
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`layer the higherlayer control data is included with and indistinguishable from the
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`payload data. Multiple interrupts, valuable central processing unit (CPU) processing time
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`and repeated data copies may also be necessary for the receiving host to place the data in
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`an appropriate form at its intended destination.
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`The abovedescription of layered protocol processing is simplified, as college-
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`level textbooks devoted primarily to this subject are available, such as Computer
`
`Networks, Third Edition (1996) by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, which is incorporated herein
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`by reference. As defined in that book, a computer networkis an interconnected
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`collection of autonomous computers, such as internet and intranet systems, including
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`local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), asynchronoustransfer mode
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`(ATM), ring or token ring, wired, wireless, satellite or other means for providing
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`communication capability between separate processors. A computer is defined herein to
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`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
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`according to different operating systems or communicate via different architectures.
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`As networks grow increasingly popular and the information communicated
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`thereby becomesincreasingly complex and copious, the need for such protocol
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`processing has increased. It is estimated that a large fraction of the processing powerof a
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`host CPU maybe devoted to controlling protocol processes, diminishing the ability of
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`that CPU to perform other tasks. Networkinterface cards have been developed to help
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`with the lowest layers, such as the physical and data link layers. It is also possible to
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`increase protocol processing speed by simply adding more processing power or CPUs
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`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
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`communication capability between various networkhosts.
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`Summary of the Invention
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`The current invention provides a system for processing network communication
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`that greatly increases the speed of that processing andthe efficiency of moving the data
`
`being communicated. The invention has been achieved by questioning the long-standing
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`practice of performing multilayered protocol processing on a general-purpose processor.
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`The protocol processing method andarchitecture that results effectively collapses the
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`layers of a connection-based, layered architecture such as TCP/IP into a single wider
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`layer whichis able to send network data more directly to and from a desired location or
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`buffer on a host. This accelerated processing is provided to a host for both transmitting
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`and receiving data, and so improves performance whether one or both hosts involved in
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`
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`an exchange of information have suchafeature.
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`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 message data directly at its source ordelivers it directly to its intended
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`destination. This fast-path bypasses conventional protocol processing of headers that
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`accompanythe data. The fast-path employs a specialized microprocessor designed for
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`processing network communication, avoiding the delays and pitfalls of conventional
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`software layer processing, such as repeated copying and interrupts to the CPU. In effect,
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`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
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`contrast to conventional rules that require rigorous differentiation and separation of
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`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
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`specialized microprocessor and the hostintelligently choose whether a given message or
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`portion of a message is processed by the microprocessororthe host stack.
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`Brief Description of the Drawings
`
`FIG. 1 is a plan view diagram of a system of the present invention, including a
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`host computer having a communication-processing device for accelerating network
`
`communication.
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`FIG. 2 is a diagram of information flow for the host of FIG. 1 in processing
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`network communication, including a fast-path, a slow-path anda transfer of connection
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`context between the fast and slow-paths.
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`FIG.3 is a flow chart of message receiving according to the present invention.
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`FIG.4Ais a diagram of information flow for the host of FIG. 1 receiving a
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`message packet processed by the slow-path.
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`FIG. 4B is a diagram of information flow for the host of FIG. 1 receiving an
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`initial message packet processed by the fast-path.
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`FIG. 4C is a di