Network controller-sideband interface port controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016134552-A1
Application number	US-201514857952-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A network interface controller (NC) that can provide a connection for a device to a network. The NC can include a sideband port controller. The sideband port controller can provide a sideband connection between the network and a sideband endpoint circuit that can communicate information with the network via the sideband. The sideband port controller can include a receive data route that has an input for receiving packets of data from the network and an output for passing the packets of data received from the network to the sideband endpoint circuit. The receive data route may include a buffer to receive the packets of data from the network and to pass the packets of data received from the network to the sideband endpoint.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A network interface controller for providing a connection for a device to a network, the network interface controller comprising a sideband port controller, the sideband port controller for providing a sideband connection between the network and a sideband endpoint circuit that is operative to communicate information with the network via a sideband, the sideband port controller comprising:
a receive data route having an input for receiving packets from the network and an output for passing the packets received from the network to the sideband endpoint circuit, the receive data route comprising a buffer to receive the packets from the network and to pass the packets received from the network to the sideband endpoint circuit.

2 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sideband port controller further comprises a receive arbiter and one or more other data sources of the sideband port controller, the receive arbiter being operative to determine whether a packet from the buffer or data from a data source of the one or more other data sources of the sideband port controller is to be forwarded via the output of the sideband port controller to the sideband endpoint circuit, and the sideband port controller further comprises a media access controller (MAC) for communicating with the sideband endpoint circuit.

3 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receive data route is further operative to drop the packets that are received from the network in a case of overflow.

4 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 1 , the network interface controller further comprising:
a main MAC for connection to the network; an extractor operative to extract packets from a stream of packets from the network received by the main MAC; and the main MAC is operative to forward packets that are recognized as sideband traffic to the receive data route of the sideband port controller.

5 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the one or more other data sources further comprises a packet parser of the sideband port controller.

6 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the packet parser is operative to read and analyze data from the packets that are received from the sideband endpoint circuit.

7 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the packet parser is operative to identify packets of data from the sideband endpoint circuit that contain a command from the sideband port controller, the sideband port controller is operative to compile a response packet in response to the command, and the sideband port controller is operative to insert the response packet into the receive data route.

8 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the sideband port controller further comprises an event notification unit that is operative to compile indications into an event notification packet and further operative to pass the event notification packet to the packet parser, and the sideband port controller is operative to insert the event notification packet into the receive data route.

9 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the receive data route is operative to give priority to the event notification packet over the packets from the network.

10 . A network interface controller as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the receive data route is operative to give priority to the response packet over the packets from the network.

11 . A method of receiving data in a network interface controller providing a connection for a device to a network, the network interface controller comprising a sideband port controller, the sideband port controller providing a sideband connection between the network and a sideband endpoint circuit that communicates information with the network via a sideband, the method comprising:
receiving packets from the network along a receive data route into an input of the sideband port controller for receiving the packets from the network to an output for passing packets received from the network to the sideband endpoint circuit; and providing, in the receive data route, a buffer that is operative to receive the packets from the network and to pass the packets received from the network to the sideband endpoint circuit.

12 . A method as claimed in claim 11 , the method further comprising:
determining whether a packet that is received from the buffer or data from one or more other data sources of the sideband port controller is to be forwarded to the sideband endpoint circuit via the output.

13 . A method as claimed in claim 11 , the method further comprising:
dropping from the receive data route packets from the network in a case of overflow.

14 . A method as claimed in claim 11 , the method further comprising:
the sideband port controller communicating with the sideband endpoint circuit with a media access controller (MAC); connecting with the network via a main MAC; and forwarding packets from a network that are received by the main MAC that are recognized as sideband traffic to the input of the receive data route.

15 . A method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the one or more other data sources further comprises a packet parser of the sideband port controller, the packet parser operative to read packets of data that are received from the sideband endpoint circuit.

16 . A method as claimed in claim 15 , the method further comprising:
analyzing, with the packet parser, the packets of data received from the sideband endpoint circuit.

17 . A method as claimed in claim 15 , the method further comprising:
compiling indications into an event notification packet; passing the event notification packet to the packet parser; and inserting the event notification packet into the receive data route and passing the event notification packet to the sideband endpoint circuit.

18 . A method as claimed in claim 15 , the method further comprising:
the packet parser identifying packets from the sideband endpoint containing a command from the sideband port controller; compiling a response packet to the command; and inserting the response packet into the receive data route.

19 . A method as claimed in claim 17 , the method further comprising:
giving priority to the event notification packet over packets of data that are received from the network.

20 . A method as claimed in claim 18 , the method further comprising:
giving priority to the response packet over packets of data that are from the network.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Aldebert Jean-Paul
• Basso Claude
• Frenoy Jean-Luc
• Verplanken Fabrice J

Classifications

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L47/32 Primary

  by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames · CPC title

• H04L49/90

  Buffering arrangements · CPC title

• H04L69/26

  Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures (network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12) · CPC title

• G06F13/382 Primary

  using universal interface adapter · CPC title