Network Processor Packet Transmission Data Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network processor designs face challenges in balancing efficiency and programmability, with highly dedicated hardware becoming obsolete quickly and less specific processors requiring extensive programming, leading to high implementation and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A network processor that retrieves and processes packet transmission data structures (PTDs) to transmit packets over a network, incorporating repetition, modification, and flow control information, with a limited set of operations to simplify programming and reduce memory consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If highly dedicated hardware design is used to implement network protocol, then processing efficiency is improved, but adaptability deteriorates when protocol changes occur
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware processor is segmented into a fixed functional core for efficient packet processing and a programmable peripheral for protocol-specific operations. This allows the efficient hardware core to remain unchanged while the programmable portion adapts to protocol modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor incorporates a universal programmable peripheral that can be configured to support multiple network protocols. This multi-functional component allows the same hardware to efficiently process packets while adapting to different protocol requirements through software configuration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If less specific processors are used to implement network processing, then adaptability is improved, but programming complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A dedicated software layer acts as an intermediary between the general-purpose operating system and the network processing hardware. This software layer provides simplified, high-level programming interfaces that abstract away the hardware complexity, allowing developers to write protocol-specific code without dealing with low-level hardware details.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a programmable peripheral that can be programmed with protocol-specific instructions. Instead of requiring complex hardware designs for each protocol, the same hardware peripheral can be programmed to emulate different protocol behaviors, simplifying the hardware design while maintaining adaptability.
3Productivity
If dedicated hardware design is used, then processing efficiency is improved, but memory consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the protocol-specific functionality from the main hardware processor and places it in a separate programmable peripheral. This allows the main processor to use minimal memory for its fixed functionality while the programmable peripheral handles protocol-specific memory requirements through software configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A network processor is enabled to retrieve a packet transmission data structure (PTD) from a memory. The NP parses packet data from the PTD and transmits the data over the network as a network packet. The PTD may include repetition information used by the NP to transmit a plurality of packets. The PTD use transmission interval information to control transmission timing of consecutive network packets. The PTD may include modification information used to modify the data packet portion. The modification may include incrementing, decrementing, or storing a random number into any portion of the data packet. The PTD may include flow control information to determine the next PTD to process. The flow control information may include criteria including acknowledgement criteria and time delay criteria. The packet data portion preferably includes all formatting information applicable to the network.