Network Processor Packet Processing for CPU Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing edge router technologies rely solely on central processing units (CPUs) for service processing, which limits the efficiency due to the wide variety of services and the difficulty in improving forwarding and processing capabilities of the CPU.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a network processor (NP) in conjunction with the CPU to offload packet processing tasks. The NP receives packets, extracts features, looks up processing rules, and processes packets based on these rules, thereby reducing the CPU's processing load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If all service processing is performed by the CPU, then the system maintains simplicity in architecture, but the service processing efficiency is low due to the wide variety of services and difficulty in improving CPU forwarding capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the packet processing function into two independent parts: the NP handles packet forwarding and basic processing tasks, while the CPU handles control plane functions and complex service processing. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, improving overall service processing efficiency while maintaining architectural clarity through defined functional boundaries.
2Speed
If the CPU processes all packets, then the processing logic is centralized and simple to manage, but the forwarding capability cannot be improved due to CPU performance limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the packet forwarding function from the CPU and implements it in a dedicated NP. The NP handles time-critical packet forwarding operations at high speed, while the CPU focuses on control plane processing. This extraction resolves the contradiction by assigning speed-critical tasks to specialized hardware while maintaining management simplicity through centralized control plane processing.
3Productivity
If multiple processors are introduced to improve processing capacity, then the processing power increases, but the system complexity increases and the CPU load for coordination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different processing qualities to different components: the NP is optimized for high-speed packet forwarding with simplified processing logic, while the CPU handles complex control plane functions. This local quality differentiation increases processing capacity for specific tasks without requiring complex multi-processor coordination, as each processor type is optimized for its designated function.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a service processing method and a network device. The network device includes an NP and a CPU. The NP is configured to: receive a first packet; obtain a packet feature of the first packet; obtain a processing rule corresponding to the packet feature; process the first packet based on the processing rule, to obtain a second packet; and send the second packet to the CPU. The CPU is configured to: receive the second packet, and process the second packet. Before the CPU processes the first packet, the NP processes the first packet, and sends the second packet obtained after processing to the CPU, so that the CPU may directly process the second packet, to simplify a process in which the CPU processes the packet received by the CPU, thereby improving service processing efficiency of the network device.