Patents by Inventor Steven L. Pope

Steven L. Pope has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20190103972
    Abstract: A network interface device comprises an integrated circuit device comprises at least one processor. A network interface device comprises a memory. The integrated device is configured to execute a function with respect to at least a part of stored data in said memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: Solarflare Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Paul Fox
  • Publication number: 20190104086
    Abstract: A network interface device is provided in a first device. The network interface device comprises an interface configured to receive a first input from a network. The network interface device also has at least one processor configured to provide an output in dependence on contents of the first input and provenance information which uniquely identifies the network interface device, the output being output via the interface to the network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: Solarflare Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch
  • Publication number: 20190020690
    Abstract: A rule engine receives data flows. The data flows are between a network and an application. The rule engine determines data flow information and in dependence on the information performs an action with respect to said flow. A controller provides control information to the rule engine to define one or more actions. The communications between said rule engine and said controller are secure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Derek Roberts
  • Publication number: 20180343183
    Abstract: A network interface device is provided. The network interface device comprises an input configured to receive a data frame from a network. The network interface device also comprises a timing component configured to store, for the data frame, first timing information and compensation information. The compensation information is specific to the frame. The first timing information and said compensation information representing a time when the data frame was received.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, Derek Roberts, Neil Turton
  • Publication number: 20180331976
    Abstract: A data processing system has a poll mode driver and a library supporting protocol processing. The poll mode driver and the library are non-operating system functionalities. An application is provided. An operation system is configured while executing in kernel mode and in response to the application being determined to be unresponsive, use a helper process being an operating system functionality executing at user-mode to cause a receive or transmit mode of the application to continue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, Kieran Mansley, Maciej Aleksander Jablonski
  • Publication number: 20180329743
    Abstract: A data processing system has a poll mode driver and a library supporting protocol processing. The poll mode driver and the library are non-operating system functionalities. An application is provided. An operation system is configured while executing in kernel mode and in response to the application being determined to be unresponsive, use a helper process being an operating system functionality executing at user-mode to cause a receive or transmit mode of the application to continue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, Kieran Mansley, Maciej Aleksander Jablonski
  • Publication number: 20180288082
    Abstract: A data analytical engine receives packets from a number of different network interface devices. The data is a replica of part or all of transmit or receive packets processed in the network interface device. A learning algorithm is applied to data from said different network interface devices and it is determined if an alert is to be generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. POPE, David J. RIDDOCH, Derek Roberts
  • Publication number: 20180288198
    Abstract: A network interface device has in input. The input receives packets in accordance with a protocol and has at least one protocol header. The network interface has hardware which applies an artificial intelligence process to at least one of the protocol headers. This is used to provide an output which may, for example, indicate a risk associated with a packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Derek Roberts
  • Patent number: 10021223
    Abstract: A method of transmitting data for use at a data processing system and network interface device, the data processing system being coupled to a network by the network interface device, the method comprising: forming a message template in accordance with a predetermined set of network protocols, the message template including at least in part one or more protocol headers; forming an application layer message in one or more parts; updating the message template with the parts of the application layer message; processing the message template in accordance with the predetermined set of network protocols so as to complete the protocol headers; and causing the network interface device to transmit the completed message over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Solarflare Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Kieran Mansley
  • Publication number: 20180150423
    Abstract: A data processing system comprising: a host computer system supporting a software entity and a receive queue for the software entity; a network interface device having a controller unit configured to provide a data port for receiving data packets from a network and a data bus interface for connection to a host computer system, the network interface device being connected to the host computer system by means of the data bus interface; and an accelerator module arranged between the controller unit and a network and having a first medium access controller for connection to the network and a second medium access controller coupled to the data port of the controller unit, the accelerator module being configured to: on behalf of the software entity, process incoming data packets received from the network in one or more streams associated with a first set of one or more network endpoints; encapsulate data resulting from said processing in network data packets directed to the software entity; and deliver the network
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Steven L. POPE
  • Publication number: 20180124216
    Abstract: A network interface device includes an interface configured to receive data packets for a host processing device and an engine supporting a network interface device component of an application that is provided on the host processing device. In response to receiving data packets for the application, the engine is configured to cause at least some of the data packets to be available to the component of the application, to cause the data packets to be delivered to a protocol stack of the host processing device, and to receive control information associated the data packets from the protocol stack of the host processing device. The interface is configured to output an acknowledgement message comprising the control information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Derek Roberts
  • Patent number: 9948533
    Abstract: A method for use in a data processing system connected to a network in accordance with a data transfer protocol, the data processing system having one or more event queues for holding network events, and being capable of responding to interrupts issued in response to the presence of a network event in the data processing system by invoking a stack to cause processing in accordance with the data transfer protocol of network events on the event queues; the method comprising: deciding whether to permit the interrupts to be enabled, in dependence on the result of a determination as to the presence of current indications that the stack will be invoked by an entity in the data processing system to cause processing in accordance with the data transfer protocol of network events on the event queues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Solarflare Communitations, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch
  • Publication number: 20180062849
    Abstract: A NIC is provided in a cloud infrastructure. The NIC has a first information which receives least one application message from an application supported by the infrastructure. The NIC digitally signs the application message and outputs the digitally signed message to a network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch
  • Publication number: 20180063197
    Abstract: A rule engine receives data flows. The data flows are between a network and an application. The rule engine determines data flow information and in dependence on the information performs an action with respect to said flow. A controller provides control information to the rule engine to define one or more actions. The communications between said rule engine and said controller are secure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Derek Roberts
  • Patent number: 9892082
    Abstract: A data processing system comprising a host computer system and a network interface device for connection to a network, the host computer system and network interface device being coupled together by means of a data bus, and: the network interface device comprising: a controller unit having a first data port for connection to a network, a second data port, and a data bus interface connected to said data bus, the controller unit being operable to perform, in dependence on the network endpoints to which data packets received at the network interface device are directed, switching of data packets between the first and second data ports and the data bus interface; and an accelerator module having a first medium access controller coupled to said second data port of the controller unit and a processor operable to perform one or more functions in hardware on data packets received at the accelerator module, the said first medium access controller being operable to support one or more first network endpoints; the host
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Solarflare Communications Inc.
    Inventor: Steven L. Pope
  • Patent number: 9880964
    Abstract: A data processing system comprising a host computer system and a network interface device for connection to a network, the host computer system and network interface device being coupled together by means of a data bus, and: the network interface device comprising: a controller unit having a first data port for connection to a network, a second data port, and a data bus interface connected to said data bus, the controller unit being operable to perform, in dependence on the network endpoints to which data packets received at the network interface device are directed, switching of data packets between the first and second data ports and the data bus interface; and an accelerator module having a first medium access controller coupled to said second data port of the controller unit and a processor operable to perform one or more functions in hardware on data packets received at the accelerator module, the said first medium access controller being operable to support one or more first network endpoints; the host
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Steven L. Pope
  • Patent number: 9807117
    Abstract: A rule engine receives data flows. The data flows are between a network and an application. The rule engine determines data flow information and in dependence on the information performs an action with respect to said flow. A controller provides control information to the rule engine to define one or more actions. The communications between said rule engine and said controller are secure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Solarflare Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch, Derek Roberts
  • Patent number: 9800513
    Abstract: A network interface device for connection between a network and a data processing system, the network interface device comprising: a plurality of ports for receiving data packets directed to the data processing system. An interface services the ports in a predetermined order and writes the data packets to buffers of a common memory. Each buffer is part of one of a set of linked logical sequence of buffers forming virtual queues in the common memory. Each virtual queue is associated with a port. A memory manager selects buffers of the common memory so as to cause the interface to populate the plurality of virtual queues with data packets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Solarflare Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David Riddoch, Dmitri Kitariev
  • Publication number: 20170272300
    Abstract: A software networking arrangement for operation in a data processing system comprising an OS being operable in: a first mode in which it performs protocol processing of a flow of traffic data and then passes the protocol processed data to a NIC for transmission; and a second mode in which it does not perform protocol processing, the OS being arranged to, on entering the second mode, transmit a message to the NIC indicating that the NIC is to perform protocol processing of the flow of traffic data; the software networking arrangement comprising: a protocol processing entity; and a driver for a NIC configured to receive said message from the OS and in response thereto, configure the protocol processing entity to perform transport-level protocol processing of the flow of traffic data received from an application within the context of that application and then pass the protocol processed data to the NIC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: SOLARFLARE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven L. Pope, David J. Riddoch
  • Publication number: 20170214775
    Abstract: A data processing system is provided. A host processing device supports a host transport engine operable to establish a first transport stream over a network with a remote peer. Device hardware comprises a device transport engine. The device transport engine is configured to monitor the first transport stream to determine a state of the first transport stream and in response to an indication from the host processing device perform transport processing of the first transport stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: Solarflare Communications, Inc
    Inventors: Steven L. POPE, David J. RIDDOCH