Streaming Protocol Packet Formation Offload

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current technologies for streaming media transmission, such as RTP, rely heavily on CPU processing for packetization, leading to high CPU utilization and limited throughput, as existing segmentation offload techniques like TSO are not applicable due to dynamic header requirements and metered data pacing.

Innovation Solution

Extending transport layer segmentation offload to allow NICs to handle header and packet formation for streaming protocols like RTP, including dynamic header updates and packet pacing, thereby offloading CPU-intensive tasks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If CPU processing is used for packetization of streaming media, then packet formation can be completed with full flexibility, but CPU utilization becomes excessively high and throughput is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestreaming media throughputVSAvoidCPU utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the packetization function from the CPU by implementing a dedicated network interface card (NIC) with hardware-based packetization capabilities. The NIC independently handles RTP packet formation, header generation, and data segmentation, removing this computationally intensive task from the CPU's workload while maintaining full packetization flexibility through programmable logic in the NIC.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a dedicated network interface card as an intermediary between the data source and the network transmission medium. This NIC acts as a specialized processing unit that handles packetization tasks, serving as a mediator that translates data into properly formatted streaming packets without burdening the general-purpose CPU.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If existing segmentation offload techniques like TSO are used, then some packet formation tasks can be offloaded, but they are not applicable due to dynamic header requirements and metered data pacing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket formation efficiencyVSAvoidheader flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adaptability in the NIC's packetization engine to handle varying header requirements for different streaming protocols (RTP, RTCP, SIP, H.323, Jingle). The NIC can dynamically adjust header formats, fields, and structures based on the specific protocol being used, while still maintaining hardware-based acceleration for each protocol type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal packetization solution in the NIC that can handle multiple streaming protocols and data types simultaneously. The NIC is designed to accommodate different protocol requirements (RTP for media, RTCP for control, SIP/H.323/Jingle for signaling) within a single hardware platform, providing both specialized optimization and broad versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If more connections are served by content delivery networks, then network utilization improves, but power and heat consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of connections servedVSAvoidpower and heat consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the NIC to perform packetization tasks autonomously without requiring continuous CPU intervention. Once the NIC is configured with packetization parameters, it independently processes data streams, generating properly formatted packets without needing power-intensive CPU cycles for each packet formation operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical CPU processing system with a hardware-based packetization engine in the NIC. This substitution moves packet formation from software execution (which requires continuous CPU power) to dedicated hardware logic (which consumes less power once initialized), thereby reducing overall energy consumption while increasing the number of connections that can be served.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20200177660A1Offload of streaming protocol packet formation

Publication Date: 2020.06.04 INTEL CORP

AI summary

Examples described herein relate to providing a streaming protocol packet segmentation offload request to a network interface. The request can specify a segment of content to transmit and meta data associated with the content. The offload request can cause the network interface to generate at least one header field value for the packet and insert at least one header field prior to transmission of the packet. In some examples, the network interface generates a validation value for a transport layer protocol based on the packet with the inserted at least one header field. Some examples provide for pre-packetized content to be stored and available to copy to the network interface. In such examples, the network interface can modify or update certain header fields prior to transmitting the packet.