Queue pair IP: A hybrid architecture for system area networks

Abstract

We propose a SAN architecture called Queue Pair IP (QPIP) that combines the interface from industry proposals for low overhead, high bandwidth networks, e.g. Infiniband, with the well established inter-network protocol suite. We evaluate how effectively the queue pair abstraction enables inter-network protocol offload. We develop a prototype QPIP system that implements basic queue pair operations over a subset of TCP, UDP and IPv6 protocols using a programmable network adapter., We assess this prototype in terms of basic application performance, underlying processing costs, and a network storage application. With modest hardware support, QPIP can perform as well as traditional inter-network protocol implementations at a fraction of the host CPU overhead. With hardware support equivalent to Infiniband, QPIP would achieve similar performance targets.