Network Interface Card Frame Coalescing Buffer Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Network Interface Cards (NICs) require significant processing cycles for buffer management due to the allocation of a single buffer for each frame of information, leading to inefficient network performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing frame coalescing, where multiple frames are stored in a single large buffer, reducing the number of buffer allocations and utilizing a 'cloning' function call to support multiple references to the same data, thereby reducing data copying and processor utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single buffer is allocated for each frame of information, then buffer management is simplified and uniform communication between device driver and controller is enabled, but processing cycles are significantly consumed and network performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual frame buffers into a single large buffer that can accommodate multiple frames. This consolidation reduces the number of buffer allocation operations and decreases processor intervention, thereby improving network performance while maintaining buffer management efficiency through a unified buffer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The single large buffer serves multiple functions by storing multiple frames simultaneously, replacing the need for separate dedicated buffers for each frame. This multi-functional buffer reduces overhead and improves system productivity while maintaining the ability to manage buffer operations uniformly.
2Reliability
If multiple frames are transferred individually over the PCI bus, then each frame is processed separately ensuring protocol compliance, but PCI bus utilization becomes inefficient and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple frame transfers into a single PCI bus transaction by storing multiple frames in one buffer. This merged transfer approach improves PCI bus utilization and reduces processing time while maintaining protocol compliance through proper frame delimitation and processing within the buffer structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single buffer is allocated for each frame, then buffer allocation is straightforward and uniform, but the number of buffer allocations increases significantly consuming processing cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the function of multiple individual buffer allocations into a single buffer allocation that can accommodate multiple frames. This reduces the number of allocation operations and decreases processor utilization, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining systematic buffer management through a unified allocation approach.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus to perform frame coalescing are described.