Direct memory access through virtual switch in device driver
US8990799B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 30, 2008 |
| Grant date | Mar 24, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 6, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2009/45595
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A virtual switch implemented in a NIC routes packets to a specific virtual machine of a group of supported virtual machines based on a unique MAC address assigned to that virtual machine. Packets which are addressed to the broadcast or a multicast address may be copied to all virtual machines associated with the virtual switch or may be passed to the NIC device driver so that it may be copied by software. The NIC operates in a selective mode whereby packets that are not addressed to a supported virtual machine are rejected or discarded. Further, the virtual switch routes the packets to the virtual machines by performing a DMA copy operation to dedicated memory associated with the virtual machine to which the packet is addressed. The NIC may also include dedicated memory for each supported MAC address in order to facilitate operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.