Parallel TCP Processing for Network Bandwidth Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Increasing network bandwidths outpace CPU processing capabilities, limiting the ability to fully utilize available bandwidth in TCP packet processing, as current TCP protocols are byte-stream-oriented and processed serially, leading to computational resource bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
Partitioning TCP data streams into segments and assigning them to multiple processing elements for parallel processing, allowing simultaneous sending and receiving of data segments over a network connection without modifying the TCP protocol, enabling transparent operation across existing applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If TCP packets are processed serially using single-threaded CPUs, then TCP protocol compatibility is maintained, but network bandwidth utilization is limited due to CPU processing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the TCP byte stream into multiple data segments and assigns each segment to a separate processing element. This segmentation allows parallel processing of TCP packets across multiple CPU cores or threads, thereby increasing network bandwidth utilization without requiring changes to the TCP protocol itself. The segmentation is achieved at the application layer while maintaining transparent TCP operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-threaded serial processing to multi-threaded parallel processing by utilizing multiple processing elements simultaneously. This dimensional change from one-dimensional sequential execution to multi-dimensional parallel execution enables the system to fully utilize available network bandwidth while maintaining TCP protocol compatibility.
2Productivity
If multiple processing elements are used for parallel TCP processing, then processing throughput is improved, but compatibility with existing TCP applications is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer that sits between the application layer and the network layer. This intermediary parallelizes TCP packet processing across multiple processing elements while maintaining the standard TCP protocol interface. Existing TCP applications continue to operate unchanged as the parallelization is transparent to them, thus maintaining compatibility while improving throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the TCP processing workload across multiple processing elements while maintaining a unified TCP connection interface. Each processing element handles specific data segments independently, but the overall TCP protocol behavior remains unchanged, ensuring compatibility with existing applications that expect standard TCP operation.
3Productivity
If data is partitioned into segments for parallel processing, then per-connection throughput is enhanced, but data reassembly and ordering complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where each processing element tracks the status of its assigned data segments, including transmission status and acknowledgment receipt. This feedback information is used to coordinate reassembly and ordering operations, ensuring that data segments are correctly recombined in the original sequence while maintaining high throughput through parallel processing.
Data Source
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AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that parallelizes the TCP-related actions of a network connection between two computer systems during a data transfer between the two computer systems. During operation, the first computer system partitions the data into two or more data segments, and assigns the data segments to multiple processing elements (1). These multiple processing elements subsequently prepare and send their assigned data segments to the second computer system in parallel using TCP (2).