Virtual Cloned Device Nodes for Selective Jumbo Frame Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer systems lack the ability to selectively enable jumbo frames for different communication streams, making them vulnerable to denial of service attacks and inadvertently supporting jumbo frames in networks designed for smaller frames.
Innovation Solution
The creation of multiple virtual device nodes for a network interface device, each configurable with distinct properties such as MTU sizes and MAC addresses, allows for selective support of jumbo frames and filters incoming packets at the hardware level, preventing unwanted packet processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If jumbo frames are enabled at the hardware level for one communication stream, then larger data transfer capacity is achieved, but the system becomes vulnerable to denial of service attacks and cannot selectively enable jumbo frames for different streams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single device node into multiple virtual device nodes (clone nodes), each capable of independent configuration. This allows different communication streams to be assigned to different virtual nodes with different MTU settings, enabling selective jumbo frame support while maintaining security for streams that cannot handle large frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing each virtual device node to have its own specific MTU configuration tailored to the requirements of its associated communication stream. This enables jumbo frames to be enabled only where needed (local to specific streams) rather than globally across all streams, resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
2Device complexity
If a single device node is used for all communication streams, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to apply different MTU sizes to different streams is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates multiple virtual device nodes that collectively provide multi-functionality. Each virtual node serves a specific communication stream with tailored MTU settings, while all nodes share the same underlying physical network interface. This universal approach allows the system to adapt to different stream requirements without requiring separate physical devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates clone (copy) device nodes that replicate the basic device functionality but allow independent configuration of parameters like MTU size. These copied nodes enable different MTU configurations for different streams while maintaining the simplicity of the original device node structure as a template.
3Productivity
If hardware filtering is not implemented, then all packets must be passed to software for processing, but implementing filtering requires multiple virtual device nodes with separate addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by configuring hardware filters with the addresses of virtual device nodes before packet processing occurs. This allows the hardware to pre-filter packets at the network interface level, directing them to the appropriate virtual node based on address matching, thereby preventing unwanted packets from reaching software and improving processing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for virtualizing a hardware device node for a network interface circuit or other device. In a clone driver's configuration file, multiple virtual or clone nodes are defined. Their major numbers match the major number of the driver, but a virtual node's minor number for a Style 2 driver is calculated from the hardware driver's major number and the instance or port number of the corresponding hardware node. By creating multiple clone nodes, multiple paths through the protocol stack are created. Each one can be configured differently (e.g., for different MTU sizes), and each may be assigned a different address (e.g., MAC address). The separate addresses may be registered with hardware filters to filter incoming packets at the hardware level. A traffic classifier created in the device driver manages each virtual node's association with a hardware filter.