Offloading packet processing for networking device virtualization

摘要

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for offloading packet processing for networking device virtualization. A host maintains rule set(s) for a virtual machine, and a physical network interface card (NIC) maintains flow table(s) for the virtual machine. The physical NIC receives and processes a network packet associated with the virtual machine. Processing the network packet includes the physical NIC comparing the network packet with the flow table(s) at the physical NIC. When the network packet matches with a flow in the flow table(s) at the physical NIC, the physical NIC performs an action on the network packet based on the matching flow. Alternatively, when the network packet does not match with a flow in the flow table(s) at the physical NIC, the physical NIC passes the network packet to the host partition for processing against the rule set(s).

主权项

1. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system also including a physical network interface card (NIC) and executing a host partition, a method for processing network packets for a virtual machine executing at the computer system, the method comprising:
an act of the physical NIC maintaining one or more flow tables for the virtual machine, the one or more flow tables being based on one or more rule sets for the virtual machine that are maintained at the host partition; an act of the physical NIC receiving a network packet associated with the virtual machine; and an act of processing the network packet for the virtual machine, including:
an act of the physical NIC comparing the network packet with the one or more flow tables, andwhen the network packet matches with a flow in the one or more flow tables, an act of the physical NIC performing an action on the network packet based on the matching flow, orwhen the network packet does not match with a flow in the one or more flow tables, an act of the physical NIC passing the network packet to the host partition for processing against the one or more rule sets, including the physical NIC passing the network packet to the host partition through the virtual machine.