Scaled-out transport as connection proxy for device-to-device communications

US11637773B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Fungible, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Wael Noureddine · Santa Clara, US
• Felix A. Marti · San Francisco, US
• Aibing Zhou · San Jose, US
• Dmitriy Budko · Sunnyvale, US
• Gaurav Gupte · San Jose, US
• Hoai Vu Thanh Tran · Gilroy, US
• Aravind Vidhyasagar Lappasi · Austin, US
• Leith Alan Leedom · Palo Alto, US
• Rajesh G. Nair · Fremont, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 9, 2021
• Grant date: Apr 25, 2023
• Expiry date: Jun 3, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04L63/20
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques are described for providing a scaled-out transport supported by interconnected data processing units (DPUs) that operates as a single system bus connection proxy for device-to-device communications within a data center. As one example, this disclosure describes techniques for providing a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) proxy for device-to-device communications employing the PCIe standard. The disclosed techniques include adding PCIe proxy logic on top of a host unit of a DPU to expose a PCIe proxy model to application processors, storage devices, network interface controllers, field programmable gate arrays, or other PCIe endpoint devices. The PCIe proxy model may be implemented as a physically distributed Ethernet-based switch fabric with PCIe proxy logic at the edge and fronting the PCIe endpoint devices. The interconnected DPUs and the distributed Ethernet-based switch fabric together provide a reliable, low-latency, and scaled-out transport that operates as a PCIe proxy.