Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for establishing high user priority for Ethernet frames related to demand-paging operations over iSCSI. The iSCSI initiator is configured to identify demand-page operations using techniques specific to the operating system and to set the 802.1q tag control information (TCI) user priority bit field to reflect high priority for demand-page related Ethernet frames. The demand-page related Ethernet frames are then delivered to the iSCSI target with a higher priority through the intervening Ethernet network than other traffic. Overall performance of demand paging operations is improved relative to prior art systems through an average reduction in network latency.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for communicating data in a network utilizing a transport offload engine. Included is a data list object that describes how data communicated in a network is to be stored (i.e. placed, etc.) in memory (i.e. application memory). Stored in association (i.e. located, kept together, etc.) with the data list object is a sequence object. Such sequence object identifies a sequence space associated with the data to be stored using the data list object. To this end, the sequence object is used by a transport offload engine to determine whether or not incoming data is to be stored using the data list object.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for concisely identifying the hardware configuration of a computer system through a single signature value. This signature value is computed by passing specific hardware configuration information through a hashing function. The hardware configuration information may include, among other things, selected elements of the SMBIOS system description as well as PCI topology and PCI bus type information.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for emulating a floppy disk drive using network storage services. An application executing on a diskless computing device generates INT 13 access requests to gain access to a floppy disk image residing on a storage server. The INT 13 access requests are directed to a translation function that maps cylinder head sector (CHS) addresses and commands native to floppy disk media to linear block addresses (LBA) and commands used to access data within SCSI devices. An iSCSI initiator residing within the diskless computing device directs the LBA requests to an iSCSI target residing within the storage server to access a LUN residing on the storage server that contains a floppy disk image. The application is then able to conduct access requests to the floppy disk image as though a physical floppy disk drive were present on the diskless computing device.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for concisely identifying the hardware configuration of a computer system through a single signature value. This signature value is computed by passing specific hardware configuration information through a hashing function. The hardware configuration information may include, among other things, selected elements of the SMBIOS system description as well as PCI topology and PCI bus type information.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for automatically provisioning a diskless computing device and an associated server system. A diskless computing device client incorporates an iSCSI initiator that is used to access resources provided by an iSCSI target that is resident on a server computing device. The iSCSI initiator is implemented in the client firmware, providing INT13 disk services entry points, thereby enabling the client to transparently access virtual storage devices at boot time. The client device conducts an apparently local installation using the virtual storage devices provided by the server computing device. A short signature value is associated with the boot image, uniquely associating the boot image with the specific client hardware configuration. When the client device boots normally, the signature value of the client device is presented to the server computing device to automatically reference the appropriate boot image.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for mapping an iSCSI target name to a virtual disk on an iSCSI storage server, based on a hardware class identifier that is included in an iSCSI login request. The hardware class identifier is unique to the particular hardware configuration of the diskless computing device. An iSCSI initiator residing within a diskless computing device includes the hardware class identifier as a vendor-specific parameter in the iSCSI login request to a generic virtual disk. An iSCSI target that resides on the storage server matches the hardware class identifier in the iSCSI login request with a particular virtual disk that contains the boot image for the hardware class of the diskless computing device. In this fashion, an iSCSI initiator-target nexus between the iSCSI initiator and the appropriate virtual disk may be established.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for automatically provisioning a diskless computing device and an associated server system. A diskless computing device client incorporates an iSCSI initiator that is used to access resources provided by an iSCSI target that is resident on a server computing device. The iSCSI initiator is implemented in the client firmware, providing INT13 disk services entry points, thereby enabling the client to transparently access virtual storage devices at boot time. The client device conducts an apparently local installation using the virtual storage devices provided by the server computing device. A short signature value is associated with the boot image, uniquely associating the boot image with the specific client hardware configuration. When the client device boots normally, the signature value of the client device is presented to the server computing device to automatically reference the appropriate boot image.

Abstract: A computer device, an input/output (“I/O”) communication subsystem, a chipset and a method are disclosed for implementing interrupt message packets to facilitate peer-to-peer communications between a device controller and a coprocessor. Advantageously, the various embodiments of the invention obviate a requirement for specialized circuitry on a motherboard to establish peer-to-peer communications. In one embodiment, an I/O communication subsystem includes a bus interface for coupling the I/O communication subsystem to a general-purpose bus. It also includes a device controller being configured to generate an interrupt as an interrupt message packet for a coprocessor, which, in turn, interrupts processing functions that otherwise are performed by the host processor. The device controller can reside either internal or external to the I/O communication subsystem.

Abstract: An Internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) system, method and associated data structure are provided for receiving data in protocol data units. After a protocol data unit is received, a data list is identified that describes how the data contained in the protocol data unit is to be stored (i.e. placed, saved, etc.) in memory (i.e. application memory). Further stored is a state of the data list. To this end, the state of the data list is used in conjunction with the storage of data from a subsequent protocol data unit.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for performing the retransmission of data in a network. Included is an offload engine in communication with system memory and a network. The offload engine serves for managing the retransmission of data transmitted in the network.