Netapp, Inc.

Tom Hicks

Daniel S Nydick

Andrew G Reynolds

Michael Kazar

Richard N Sanzi, Jr

Fred Gohh

David Jeffrey Graham

Jeffrey Eric Semke

James Andrew Ignatuk

Daniel Clash

A system and method for offloading network processes from main processors of a storage system and performing them on parallel processing modules. Embodiments of the present invention improve performance of a clustered storage system by performing certain network processes in an accelerator module of a storage system node. The accelerator module receives multi-protocol protocol data units (PDUs) from a network interface, performs protocol operations on the PDUs to form file system requests and passes the file system requests to a local D-module. If a file system request is directed to a non-local D-module in the cluster, the accelerator module repackages the request for transmission to the appropriate D-module and passes it back to the network without using local D-module processing resources or passing data over the system bus.

Method and apparatus for offloading network processes in a computer storage system

A system and method for offloading network processes from main processors of a storage system and performing them on parallel processing modules. Embodiments of the present invention allocate resources such as memory and/or buffers to particular connections between various storage operating system processes or between storage operating system processes and a network interface. Connections are identified by a connection identifier (CID) and are assigned particular buffers according to parameters such as buffer availability, connection priority, and/or maximum allocation thresholds. A connection associated with a CID is guaranteed access to a certain number of dedicated buffers. Deadlock is avoided even when an operating system process associated with a different CID attempts to exhaust available memory and/or buffers because such processes will only have access to their own allocated resources.

Method and apparatus for allocating network protocol operation resources

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Cranberry Township, PA, United States of America

Tom Hicks