Checking data integrity

Abstract

A network interface device for connection to a data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the network interface device being configured to: identify within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified; on so identifying data of the further protocol, process at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmit to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.

1 . A network interface device for connection to a data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the network interface device being configured to identify within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified and, upon so identifying data of the further protocol, process at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmit to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.  
     
     
         2 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the network interface device is configured to process the payload data by applying a predetermined function to the payload data to form a verification result.  
     
     
         3 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the said verification result is the said indication of the result.  
     
     
         4 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the network interface device is configured to transmit to the data processing device the payload data together with the at least some of the framing data.  
     
     
         5 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the network interface device is further configured to process the payload data by comparing the verification result with the verification data and the result of that comparison is the said indication of the result.  
     
     
         6 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the network interface device is configured to, if the result of that comparison is that the verification result matches the verification data, transmit to the data processing device the payload data together with the at least some of the framing data.  
     
     
         7 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the network interface device is configured to, if the result of that comparison is that the verification result does not match the verification data, not transmit to the data processing device the payload data.  
     
     
         8 . A network interface device as claimed in any of claims  2 , wherein the predetermined function is a cyclic redundancy check function.  
     
     
         9 . A network interface device as claimed in any of claims  2 , wherein the predetermined function is an authentication function.  
     
     
         10 . A network interface device as claimed in any of claims  2 , wherein the predetermined function is a function that involves byte-by-byte processing of the payload data.  
     
     
         11 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the packets of the transport protocol comprise packet headers of that protocol and the network interface device is configured to, on identifying data of the further protocol, transmit to the data processing device at least some of the header(s) of the packet(s) of the transport protocol that carried that the payload data together with the payload data.  
     
     
         12 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the network interface device is configured to perform the transmission to the data processing device by transmitting data to a transport library supported by the data processing device.  
     
     
         13 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the Transport protocol is the TCP (transmission control protocol) protocol.  
     
     
         14 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the further protocol is a protocol for remote direct memory access.  
     
     
         15 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the further protocol is such that it supports memory write instructions wherein the framing data includes information indicative of a memory address of the data processing device to which at least some of the payload data is to be written.  
     
     
         16 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the further protocol is the RDMA (remote direct memory access) or ISCSI (internet small computer serial interface) protocol.  
     
     
         17 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the network interface device is configured to, on identifying at least some forms of data of the further protocol, raise an interrupt on the data processing apparatus.  
     
     
         18 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the said forms of data include memory read instructions.  
     
     
         19 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the said forms of data include memory write instructions.  
     
     
         20 . A network interface device as claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the said read write instructions include information indicative of a memory address at which the said read/write is to be performed.  
     
     
         21 . A data processing system comprising a data processing device and a network interface device for connection to the data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the network interface device being configured to identify within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified and upon so identifying data of the further protocol, process at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmit to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.  
     
     
         22 . A method for processing data by means of a network interface device for connection to a data processing device and to a data network so as to provide an interface between the data processing device and the network for supporting the network of packets of a transport protocol, the method comprising performing the following steps by means of the network interface device: 
 identifying within the payloads of such packets data of a further protocol, the data of the further protocol comprising payload data of the further protocol and framing data of the further protocol, and the framing data including verification data for permitting the integrity of the payload data to be verified; and    upon so identifying data of the further protocol, processing at least the payload data for determining the integrity thereof and transmitting to the data processing device at least some of the framing data and an indication of the result of the said processing.