Ethernet Global Data Protocol

Abstract: A wireless data network which provides communications with a Pier to Pier Protocol server is disclosed. The network includes a home network that includes a home mobile switching center, a wireless modem and one or more end system. The wireless modem and the end systems are connected together via an ethernet link. The network also includes a PPP server, wherein PPP information sent from PPP server for the end systems is encapsulated by the wireless modem in an ethernet frame and sent to the end systems via the ethernet link.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and devices for implementing a Low Latency Ethernet (“LLE”) solution, also referred to herein as a Data Center Ethernet (“DCE”) solution, which simplifies the connectivity of data centers and provides a high bandwidth, low latency network for carrying Ethernet and storage traffic. Some aspects of the invention involve transforming FC frames into a format suitable for transport on an Ethernet. Some preferred implementations of the invention implement multiple virtual lanes (“VLs”) in a single physical connection of a data center or similar network. Some VLs are “drop” VLs, with Ethernet-like behavior, and others are “no-drop” lanes with FC-like behavior. Some preferred implementations of the invention provide guaranteed bandwidth based on credits and VL. Active buffer management allows for both high reliability and low latency while using small frame buffers. Preferably, the rules for active buffer management are different for drop and no drop VLs.

Abstract: Transmission control protocol (TCP) and Ethernet have been widely used in readout systems. These protocols are de facto standards and have been implemented on standard operating systems. However, some small devices, e.g., front-end devices and detectors, are not capable of employing these protocols because of hardware size limitations. This paper describes a TCP processor for gigabit Ethernet with a circuit size suitable for implementing on a single field programmable gate array. The only peripheral device required is a single Ethernet physical layer device. The hardware was implemented and its TCP throughput was measured. The throughputs in both directions simultaneously were at the upper limits of gigabit Ethernet. A mechanism for slow control over user datagram protocol (UDP) is also provided. The processor described here allows adoption of TCP/Ethernet in small devices that have hardware size limitations.

Abstract: Simplicity, cost effectiveness, scalability, and the economies of scale make Ethernet a popular choice for local area networks, as well as for storage area networks and increasingly metropolitan-area networks. These applications of Ethernet elevate it from a LAN technology to a ubiquitous networking technology, thus prompting a rethinking of some of its architectural features. One weakness of existing Ethernet architecture is its use of single spanning tree, which, while useful at avoiding routing loops, leads to low link utilization and long failure recovery time. To apply Ethernet to cluster networks and MANs, these problems need to be addressed. We propose a multi-spanning-tree Ethernet architecture, called Viking, that improves both aggregate throughput and fault tolerance by exploiting standard virtual LAN technology in a novel way. By supporting multiple spanning trees through VLAN, Viking makes the most of the inherent redundancies in most mesh-like networks and delivers a multi-fold throughput gain over single-spanning-tree Ethernet with the same physical network topology. It also provides much faster failure recovery, reducing the down-time to a sub-second range from that of multiple seconds in single-spanning-tree Ethernet architecture. Finally, based only on standard mechanisms, Viking is readily implementable on commodity Ethernet switches without any firmware modifications.