Non-Kernel Multicast Protocol Handler for High-Throughput Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
User mode software applications in computing devices experience performance drawbacks such as increased latency, processing power consumption, and reduced throughput due to indirect interaction with device components through the operating system kernel.
Innovation Solution
A non-kernel multicast protocol handler that bypasses the OS kernel to directly access communication adapters with OS bypass capabilities, performing multicast operations using native semantics of the communication adapter, such as InfiniBand, and operating externally to the TCP/IP stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If user mode applications interact with device components through the operating system kernel, then system stability and security are maintained, but performance drawbacks occur including increased latency, increased processing power consumption, and reduced throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication path into two modes: traditional kernel-mediated communication for general operations, and a direct user-mode to communication adapter path for multicast operations. This segmentation allows critical multicast traffic to bypass the kernel layer, achieving high throughput while maintaining kernel stability for other operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a non-kernel multicast protocol handler as an intermediary that operates in user space. This handler directly accesses the communication adapter without kernel involvement, acting as a mediator that enables high-performance multicast communication while preserving the kernel's stability for system-wide operations.
2Reliability
If user mode applications interact with device components through the operating system kernel, then system security is maintained, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments processing responsibilities by routing multicast operations through a dedicated user-mode handler that directly accesses the communication adapter. This eliminates the need for kernel involvement in multicast processing, reducing CPU cycles consumed by context switches and kernel buffer copies while maintaining security for other system operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts multicast communication operations from the kernel processing path and handles them entirely in user space. This extraction removes the processing overhead of kernel mode transitions, buffer copying, and protocol handling from the kernel, thereby reducing overall processing power consumption while preserving kernel security functions.
3Reliability
If user mode applications interact with device components through the operating system kernel, then system stability is maintained, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication path to create a direct user-mode to communication adapter route for multicast operations. This segmentation eliminates kernel-mediated delays including context switches and protocol processing in the kernel, achieving low latency for multicast traffic while maintaining kernel stability for system-wide operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a user-mode multicast protocol handler as an intermediary that provides direct access to the communication adapter. This intermediary eliminates the need for kernel mode transitions and associated latency, enabling real-time multicast communication while preserving system stability through the kernel for other operations.
4Productivity
If direct access to communication adapter is implemented from user mode, then processing overhead is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a non-kernel multicast protocol handler as a user-mode intermediary that simplifies direct access to the communication adapter. This handler abstracts the complexity of bypassing the kernel, providing a clean interface between user applications and the communication adapter while maintaining processing efficiency through direct access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the communication adapter accessible through multiple paths: the traditional kernel-mediated path for general operations and a direct user-mode path for multicast operations. This multi-functionality allows the same hardware resource to be accessed efficiently for specific operations while maintaining the universal security and stability guarantees of the kernel for other operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Device, system and method of multicast communication. For example, an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a non-kernel multicast protocol handler adapted to perform a multicast operation of a user mode application by bypassing the operating system kernel and directly accessing a communication adapter having an operating system bypass capability.