Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-12
2004-11-30
El-Hady, Nabil (Department: 2155)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
C709S226000, C709S228000, C709S229000, C709S213000, C709S214000, C709S216000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826615
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to operating system functions and hardware implementation or acceleration of such functions.
BACKGROUND ART
Operating systems in computers enable the computers to communicate with external resources. The operating system typically handles direct control of items associated with computer usage including keyboard, display, disk storage, network facilities, printers, modems, etc. The operating system in a computer is typically designed to cause the central processing unit (“CPU”) to perform tasks including the managing of local and network file systems, memory, peripheral device drivers, and processes including application processes. Placing responsibility for all of these functions on the CPU imposes significant processing burdens on it, particularly when the operating system is sophisticated, as, for example, in the case of Windows NT (available from Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash.), Unix (available from many sources, including from SCO Software, Santa Cruz, Calif., and, in a version called “Linux” from Red Hat Software, Cambridge, Mass.), and NetWare (available from Novell, Provo, Utah). The more the burden is placed on the CPU to run processes other than those associated with applications, the less CPU time is available to run applications with the result that performance of the applications may be degraded. In addition, the throughput of devices external to the CPU is subject to the limitations imposed by the CPU when the operating system places responsibility for managing these devices on the CPU. Furthermore, reliability of the overall software-hardware system, including the CPU, running the operating system, in association with the devices, will depend, among other things, on the operating system. Owing to the inherent complexity of the operating system, unforeseen conditions may arise which may undermine stability of the overall software-hardware system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Certain aspects of the present invention enumerated in this summary are the subjects of other applications filed on the same date herewith. In one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for handling service requests over a network, wherein the network utilizes a protocol. In this aspect, the apparatus includes: a network subsystem for receiving and transmitting network service requests using the network protocol; and a service subsystem, coupled to the network subsystem, for satisfying the network service requests. Also in this aspect, at least one of the network subsystem and the service subsystem is hardware-implemented; the other of the network subsystem and the service subsystem may optionally be hardware-accelerated. Alternatively, or in addition, the service subsystem may be hardware-accelerated.
In a related embodiment, the service requests include one of reading and writing data to long-term electronic storage; optionally, the network subsystem is hardware-accelerated. Also, optionally, the long-term storage is network disk storage accessible to computers over the network. Alternatively, the long-term storage is local disk storage that is accessible to a local computer but not to any other computers over the network. Also optionally, the long-term storage may be associated with the provision of E-Mail service over the network; or it may provide access to web pages over the network.
Similarly, the service requests may involve access of data in a storage system, and the service subsystem may include a hardware-implemented module for managing storage of the data in the storage system. Thus in one embodiment, such apparatus is a file server, wherein the data in the storage system are arranged in files, the service requests may involve requests for files in the storage system, and the service subsystem also includes a hardware-implemented module for managing a file system associated with the storage system.
In another related aspect, the protocol includes a file system protocol, and the file system protocol defines operations including file read and file write. The apparatus may be a web server, wherein the data in the storage system may include web pages, and the service requests may involve requests for web pages in the storage system. Similarly, the protocol may include IP. In a further related aspect, the storage system has a storage protocol and the service subsystem includes a hardware-implemented module for interfacing with the storage system.
In accordance with another aspect, a subsystem for receiving and transmitting data over a network, the network using a protocol having at least one of layers
3
and
4
. In this aspect, the subsystem includes: a receiver that receives encapsulated data from the network and de-encapsulates such data in accordance with the protocol; and a transmitter that encapsulates data in accordance with the protocol and transmits the encapsulated data over the network.
At least one of the receiver and the transmitter is hardware-implemented; alternatively, or in addition, at least one of the receiver and the transmitter is hardware-accelerated. In a further embodiment, the network uses the TCP/IP protocol. In a related embodiment, the data is received over the network in packets, each packet having a protocol header, and the subsystem also includes a connection identifier that determines a unique connection from information contained within the protocol header of each packet received by the receiver. In another related embodiment, encapsulated data is associated with a network connection, and the subsystem further includes a memory region, associated with the network connection, that stores the state of the connection.
In accordance another related aspect, there is provided a service subsystem for interfacing a storage arrangement with a network over which may be generated a storage access request. The service subsystem of this aspect includes: a service module that receives network service requests and fulfills such service requests and in doing so may issue data storage access requests; a file system module, coupled to the service module, that receives data storage access requests from the service module and fulfills such storage access requests and in doing so may issue storage arrangement access requests; and a storage module, coupled to the file system module, that receives storage arrangement access requests from the file system module and controls the storage arrangement to fulfill such storage arrangement access requests.
At least one of the modules is hardware-implemented; alternatively, or in addition, at least one of the modules is hardware-accelerated. In a related embodiment, the service module includes: a receive control engine that receives network service requests, determines whether such requests are appropriate, and if so, responds if information is available, and otherwise issues a data storage access request; and a transmit control engine that generates network service responses based on instructions from the receive control engine, and, in the event that there is a data storage access response to the data storage access request, processes the data storage access response.
At least one of the engines is hardware-implemented; alternatively, or in addition, at least one of the engines is hardware-accelerated. In other related embodiments, the service subsystem is integrated directly in the motherboard of a computer or integrated into an adapter card that may be plugged into a computer.
In accordance with another related aspect, there is provided a service module that receives network service requests and fulfills such service requests. The service module includes: a receive control engine that receives network service requests, determines whether such requests are appropriate, and if so, responds if information is available, and otherwise issues a data storage access request; and a transmit control engine that generates network service responses based on instructions from the receive control engine, and, in the event that there is a data storage access response to the data
Aston Christopher J.
Barrall Geoffrey S.
Benham Simon
Cooper Michael
Meyer Jonathan
BlueArc UK Limited
Bromberg & Sunstein LLP
El-Hady Nabil
LandOfFree
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