Data Forwarding Device Virtual Network Card Resource Sharing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cluster server configurations face challenges in efficiently sharing network card resources among multiple servers, leading to suboptimal resource utilization and management, particularly in virtualized environments where VM migration and network resource allocation are complex.
Innovation Solution
A data forwarding device with virtual network card units and drivers enables network card resource sharing across servers, utilizing a fusion switching unit and queue pool scheduling to process and forward data frames with fusion descriptors, allowing for efficient data transmission and VM migration without relying on CPU IO addresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If each blade server uses a network card independently, then network card resource allocation is simple, but network card resource utilization is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements network card resource sharing by enabling a single physical network card to serve multiple blade servers simultaneously. The network card is configured with multiple virtual network card units, allowing it to function as multiple independent network interfaces for different servers, thereby improving resource utilization while maintaining allocation simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides a single physical network card into multiple virtual network card units, each independently configurable and assignable to different blade servers. This segmentation allows the network card resources to be distributed among multiple servers, resolving the contradiction between simple allocation and efficient utilization
2Productivity
If network card resources are shared among multiple servers, then network card resource utilization improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network card sharing device as an intermediary component that manages the sharing of network card resources among multiple blade servers. This intermediary handles the complexity of resource allocation, virtual network card configuration, and data frame forwarding, allowing servers to access shared network card resources without directly managing the complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual network card units that are logical copies of the physical network card interface. These virtual copies provide the appearance and functionality of independent physical network cards to each server, while actually sharing the underlying physical hardware, thus reducing the perceived complexity for each server
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtual network card drivers are implemented on servers, then VM migration capability improves, but correlation between VMs and physical network cards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the network card interface functionality from the physical network card hardware and implements it as virtual network card drivers in the software layer. This extraction allows virtual machines to interact with network resources through virtual interfaces, enabling VM migration without direct dependency on specific physical network card hardware
Data Source
AI summary
A data forwarding device includes server interfaces virtual network cards, a fusion switch and a network interface. A server interface obtains a data frame sent by a virtual network card driver running on a server corresponding to the server interface and obtains a first fusion descriptor, and sends the first fusion descriptor and the data frame to a virtual network card unit that corresponds to the virtual network card driver. The first fusion descriptor includes a type of the descriptor and a length of the data frame. The virtual network card processes the data frame according to the first fusion descriptor, and sends the data frame to the fusion switch. The fusion switch sends the data frame to a corresponding server via a virtual network card, or sends the data frame to an external network via a network interface.