Parallel processing using multi-core processor

摘要

Disclosed are methods, systems, paradigms and structures for processing data packets in a communication network by a multi-core network processor. The network processor includes a plurality of multi-threaded core processors and special purpose processors for processing the data packets atomically, and in parallel. An ingress module of the network processor stores the incoming data packets in the memory and adds them to an input queue. The network processor processes a data packet by performing a set of network operations on the data packet in a single thread of a core processor. The special purpose processors perform a subset of the set of network operations on the data packet atomically. An egress module retrieves the processed data packets from a plurality of output queues based on a quality of service (QoS) associated with the output queues, and forwards the data packets towards their destination addresses.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a network processor having a plurality of core processors and a plurality of special purpose processors, a plurality of data packets; and performing, by a core processor of the core processors, a set of network operations on a data packet of the data packets, the set of network operations performed on the data packet in a single thread of the core processor, the performing the set of network operations including:
requesting, by the core processor, one or more of the special purpose processors to perform a subset of the set of network operations on the data packet atomically, andperforming, by the one or more special purpose processors, the subset of the set of network operations on the data packet atomically, wherein an atomicity of each network operation of the subset of the set of network operations is achieved using a semaphore, the semaphore restricting access to shared resources of the network processor to a special purpose processor of the one or more special purpose processors while the special purpose processor is performing the corresponding network operation on the data packet, the shared resources used for performing the subset of the set of network operations on the data packet.