Nvidia Corporation

3com Corporation

Paul J Sidenblad

Thomas A Maufer

Sameer Nanda

Paul Gyugyi

Anand Rajagopalan

Ashutosh Jha

Radoslav Danilak

Robert Anthony Alfieri

Gary D Hicok

Mark A Parris

Glenn William Connery

Claude G Hayek

Edmund C Chen

Ayaz Abdulla

Hemamalini Manickavasagam

Suresh Rajan

Vivek Kini

Edward Wai Yeung Liu

Gaurav Dadwal

Cory Perry

Paul J Guygyi

Prasad Marathe

Paul J Gyugl

Paul J Gyugyi

Ashutosh K Jha

Apparatuses, systems, and techniques to facilitate memory management. In at least one embodiment, data from one or more first shared physical memory locations is accessed based, at least in part, on one or more virtual addresses corresponding to one or more second shared physical memory locations.

Sharing memory among multiple processors

Described are data structures and methodology for forming same, for network protocol processing. A method for creating data structures for firewalling and network address translating is described. A method for creating data structures for physical layer addressing is described. A method for security protocol support using a data structure is described. A method for creating at least one data structure sized responsive to whether a firewall is activated is described. A data structure for routing packets is described. A method of forming hashing table chains is described. A method and apparatus for tracking packet states is described. More particularly, Transmission Control Protocol ('TCP') tracking of states for packets is described. In an embodiment, a division between software states and hardware states is made as a packet is processed by both software and hardware. A method and apparatus for network protocol processing are also described.

Data structures and state tracking for network protocol processing

Described are data structures, and methodology for forming same, for network protocol processing. A method for creating data structures for firewalling and network address translating is described. A method for creating data structures for physical layer addressing is described. A method for security protocol support using a data structure is described. A method for creating at least one data structure sized responsive to whether a firewall is activated is described. A data structure for routing packets is described. A method of forming hashing table chains is described. Additionally, method and apparatus for tracking packet states is described. More particularly, Transmission Control Protocol ('TCP') tracking of states for packets is described. In an embodiment, a division between software states and hardware states is made as a packet is processed by both software and hardware. Additionally, method and apparatus for network protocol processing are described. For example, a packet for network address translation having a media access control header is obtained, from which information, including the media access control header, is obtained. The information is parsed into one or more data structures. It is determined whether a network processing unit is in a first round processing mode, or a second round pass-through mode.

The invention sets forth an approach for aggregating a plurality of NICs in a computing device into a single logical NIC as seen by that computing device's operating system. The combination of the single logical NIC and a network resource manager provides a reliable and persistent interface to the operating system and to the network hardware, thereby improving the reliability and ease-of-configuration of the computing device. The invention also may improve communications security by supporting the 802.1X and the 802.1Q networking standards.

Single logical network interface for advanced load balancing and fail-over functionality

A system and methods of uploading payload data to user buffers in system memory and of uploading partially processed frame data to legacy buffers allocated in Operating System memory space are described. User buffers are stored in a portion of system memory allocated to an application program, therefore data stored in user buffers does not need to be copied from another portion of system memory to the portion of system memory allocated to the application program. When partially processed frame data is uploaded by hardware to a legacy buffer in system memory, a tag, uniquely identifying the legacy buffer location is transferred by the hardware to a TCP stack, enabling the TCP stack to locate the legacy buffer.

Uploading TCP frame data to user buffers and buffers in system memory

A novel network architecture that integrates the functions of an internet protocol (IP) router into a network processing unit (NPU) that resides in a host computer's chipset such that the host computer's resources are perceived as separate network appliances. The NPU appears logically separate from the host computer even though, in one embodiment, it is sharing the same chip.

Method and apparatus for performing network processing functions

A method and apparatus for transmitting commands between a TCP stack and an offload unit and for communicating receive and transmit data buffer locations is described. A command ring buffer stored in system memory is used to transmit commands from the TCP stack to the offload unit and to transmit command status from the offload unit to the TCP stack. A notification ring buffer is used to transmit connection information from the offload unit to the TCP stack. Other ring buffers are used to transmit locations of transmit buffers or receive buffers stored in system memory from the TCP stack to the offload unit.

Transmitting commands and information between a TCP/IP stack and an offload unit

Method and apparatus for packet processing by re-insertion into network interface circuitry. A method for handling a burst of packets sent to network interface circuitry includes checking for a connection table entry for received packets, and responsive to non-existence of the connection table entry for the received packets, sending the packets to network interface software for processing. The network interface software processing includes: building the connection table entry; processing the packets; and sending the packets as processed to the network interface circuitry. Additionally, a method for re-inserting a packet responsive to an active audit mode is described.

Packet processing with re-insertion into network interface circuitry

A novel network architecture that integrates the functions of an Internet protocol (IP) router into a network processing unit (NPU) that resides in a host computer's chipset such that the host computer's resources are perceived as separate network appliances. The NPU appears logically separate from the host computer even though, in one embodiment, it is sharing the same chip.

Internet protocol (IP) router residing in a processor chipset

Method and apparatus for network protocol filtering of a packet is described. An index to a table is obtained and stored to travel with the packet. The index is obtainable to access the table to obtain packet information. In particular, a method for inbound network address translation packet filtering and a method for outbound packet filtering are described.

Network protocol processing for filtering packets

A method for autonomously and dynamically optimizing transmission power of an endpoint in a wireless network includes the step of monitoring the signal quality associated with data transfers between an access point in the wireless network and the endpoint at a first transmission power and a first transmission speed. The method also includes the steps of determining whether the signal quality is acceptable and adjusting one of the first transmission power or the first transmission speed based on whether the signal quality is acceptable.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Paul J Sidenblad