18542412. SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING FINE-GRAIN FLOW CONTROL IN A NETWORK INTERFACE CONTROLLER (NIC) simplified abstract (HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP)

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING FINE-GRAIN FLOW CONTROL IN A NETWORK INTERFACE CONTROLLER (NIC)

Organization Name

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP

Inventor(s)

David Charles Hewson of Bristol (GB)

Abdulla M. Bataineh of Seattle WA (US)

Thomas L. Court of Three Lakes WI (US)

Duncan Roweth of Bristol (GB)

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING FINE-GRAIN FLOW CONTROL IN A NETWORK INTERFACE CONTROLLER (NIC) - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18542412 titled 'SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING FINE-GRAIN FLOW CONTROL IN A NETWORK INTERFACE CONTROLLER (NIC)

Simplified Explanation

The network interface controller (NIC) described in the patent application is equipped with fine-grain flow control (FGFC) capabilities, including an FGFC logic block and a traffic management logic block. The NIC can identify and apply FGFC to data flows based on control frames received from a switch, inserting relevant information into a data structure for traffic management purposes.

• The NIC includes a network interface, an FGFC logic block, and a traffic management logic block.
• The network interface identifies control frames associated with FGFC and extracts data flow information.
• The FGFC logic block inserts control frame information into a data structure in the NIC.
• The traffic management logic block uses the data structure to determine packet forwarding based on flow-specific rules.

Potential Applications

The technology described in the patent application could be applied in:

• Data centers for efficient traffic management and flow control.
• High-performance computing environments to optimize network performance.

Problems Solved

This technology addresses the following issues:

• Ensuring fine-grain control over data flows in a network.
• Improving network efficiency and reducing congestion.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include:

• Enhanced network performance and reliability.
• Improved quality of service for network traffic.

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology could be valuable in:

• Networking hardware manufacturing for data centers.
• Telecommunications companies for optimizing network traffic.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be:

• Previous patents related to flow control and traffic management in network interfaces.

How does this technology compare to existing flow control mechanisms in terms of efficiency and scalability?

The efficiency and scalability of this technology compared to existing mechanisms are not explicitly addressed in the abstract. Further details on performance metrics and scalability would be beneficial for a comprehensive understanding.

What impact could this technology have on network latency and throughput in real-world applications?

The abstract does not provide information on the potential impact of this technology on network latency and throughput. Understanding how this technology could affect real-world network performance would be crucial for assessing its practical value.

Original Abstract Submitted

A network interface controller (NIC) capable of facilitating fine-grain flow control (FGFC) is provided. The NIC can be equipped with a network interface, an FGFC logic block, and a traffic management logic block. During operation, the network interface can determine that a control frame from a switch is associated with FGFC. The network interface can then identify a data flow indicated in the control frame for applying the FGFC. The FGFC logic block can insert information from the control frame into an entry of a data structure stored in the NIC. The traffic management logic block can identify the entry in the data structure based on one or more fields of a packet belonging to the flow. Subsequently, the traffic management logic block can determine whether the packet is allowed to be forwarded based on the information in the entry.