Network Interface Device Data Integrity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network interface devices struggle to efficiently process and verify the integrity of data packets carrying additional protocols like RDMA and ISCSI, requiring significant processing power and leading to increased costs due to the need for advanced hardware capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A network interface device configured to identify and process payload data within packets, applying verification functions such as cyclic redundancy checks to ensure data integrity, and transmit relevant framing data and results to the data processing device, thereby reducing the need for extensive processing power and enhancing protocol support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network interface devices process and verify data packets with advanced protocols (RDMA, ISCSI), then data integrity verification capability is improved, but hardware complexity and processing power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dedicated verification unit as an intermediary component within the network interface device. This separate unit specifically handles verification of data packets carrying RDMA and ISCSI protocols, isolating the complex verification logic from the main processing path. The verification unit receives payload data, applies verification functions (such as cyclic redundancy checks), and generates verification results without requiring the main processor to handle these intensive operations directly, thus improving reliability while managing hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface device is segmented into distinct functional components: a main processing unit and a dedicated verification unit. The verification unit is further segmented to handle specific protocol types (RDMA, ISCSI) separately from general packet processing. This segmentation allows the device to allocate specific hardware resources for verification tasks, improving data integrity verification capability without requiring the entire system to be designed for maximum complexity.
2Reliability
If network interface devices apply verification functions to all payload data, then data integrity is improved, but processing time and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The verification unit applies verification functions selectively rather than universally. It identifies packets carrying RDMA and ISCSI protocols through protocol detection mechanisms and applies verification functions specifically to these packet types. For other packet types, the verification unit may use simplified verification or skip verification entirely, thereby maintaining data integrity for critical protocols while reducing overall processing time and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Different verification strategies are applied to different packet types based on their specific requirements. RDMA and ISCSI packets receive full verification processing with cyclic redundancy checks and other integrity verification mechanisms. Other packet types may receive lighter verification or be handled by different processing paths. This local differentiation of verification quality ensures data integrity where needed while optimizing processing efficiency elsewhere.
Data Source
AI summary
A network interface device for connection to a data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the network interface device being configured to: identify within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified; on so identifying data of the further protocol, process at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmit to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.