Achieving gigabit performance on programmable ethernet network interface cards

Abstract

The shift from Fast Ethernet (100Mbit/s) to Gigabit Ethernet (100Mbit/s) did not result in the expected ten-fold increase in bandwidth at the application level. In this dissertation we make use of programmable Ethernet network cards running at gigabit speeds to identify present bottlenecks. Furthermore, we investigate the performance of the PCI bus and the throughput "on-the-line" when using different frame sizes. The PCI bus was identified as a major bottleneck. We also propose two new techniques aimed at boosting application performance to near-gigabit levels whilst maintaining full compatibility with existing systems. The proposed techniques were implemented and yielded an 803 point-to-point transfer rate benefit. whilst utilizing the existing Ethernet standard framework.