OpenSolaris

1. Project: Nemo: A Framework for High-Performance Networking
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OpenSolaris Project: Nemo: A Framework for High-Performance Networking

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Networking
OS/Net (ON)
Performance

Introduction

This high-performance device driver framework has VLAN support and 802.3ad Link Aggregation support for off-the-shelf device drivers. The following drivers are currently based on Nemo (a.k.a. GLDv3) framework: bge, e1000g, xge, nge, rge, ixgb. Using Nemo drivers on Solaris provides the following benefits:

• Greatly improved performance due to:
  • Direct function calls and packet chaining between IP and device driver
  • IP controlling the NIC and dynamically blanking interrupts
  • Lower CPU utilization
  • Use of advanced NIC features such as stateless offloading
• VLAN support
• 802.3ad Link Aggregation support, including LACP

Documents

• Nemo Design Document
• Important note to IHVs about API stability

The Code

Nemo has been part of OpenSolaris since day 1. The source for its main components can be found at the following locations in the OpenSolaris ON source tree:

• usr/src/uts/common/io/mac: MAC layer
• usr/src/uts/common/io/dls: Data-Link Services
• usr/src/uts/common/io/dld: Data-Link Driver (DLPI)
• usr/src/uts/common/io/aggr: Link aggregation
• usr/src/uts/common/io/bge: Driver for NICs based on Broadcom
• usr/src/cmd/dladm: CLI admin tool
• usr/src/lib/libdladm: Data-Link management library
• usr/src/lib/liblaadm: Link aggregations management library
• usr/src/lib/libdlpi: DLPI library

Current and Futures

Here are some of the projects we are actively working on, or planning to tackle in the future.

• Large frames for link aggregations: allows large ethernet frames on link aggregations.
• Nemo Unification: allows legacy DLPI drivers to take advantage of Nemo features
• Nemo MAC-Type plugin architecture: allows Nemo to support different MAC types
• Improved binary compatibility
• Continue to support new offload capabilities
• Hardware classification needed for Crossbow
• Extending dladm(1M) to support WiFi

News

"Solaris OS Networking -- The Magic Revealed" | Paragon Pinnacles | 02/06/2006

Paper Offers Both a Historical Perspective and a Look Ahead

Sun updates Solaris Express | CNET News.com | 06/21/2005

The new Solaris version also includes support for Nemo, a reworked standard for the driver software that controls networking devices. Nemo is faster...

Solaris Express 6/2005 Released | OSNews.com | 06/21/2005

Solaris Express 6/2005 (a.k.a. Nevada Build 15) was posted today, providing a host of improvements including...the "Nemo" (GLDv3) network driver framework...

Blogs

sunay - Network in a Box (Sun Tech Day in Hyderabad)

Mar 4, 6:05 PM

Network in a Box (Sun Tech Day in Hyderabad) Network in a Box (Sun Tech Day in Hyderabad) I did a session for developers during the Sun Tech Day in Hyderabad and Raju Alluri had printed out 100 ...

sunay - Network in a Box (Creating real Networks on your Latop)

Feb 29, 2:59 AM

Network in a Box (Creating real Networks on your Latop) Network in a Box (Creating real Network on your Latop) Crossbow : Network Virtualization & Resource Control Objective Create a real network ...

droux - Private virtual networks for Solaris xVM and Zones with Crossbow

Feb 14, 6:27 PM

Virtualization is great: save money, save lab space, and save the planet. So far so good! But how do you connect these virtual machines, allocate them their share of the bandwidth, and how do they ...

darrin - Xbox 360 Favorites...

Oct 22, 11:10 PM

I have been an avid gamer all the way back to playing the original Oregon Trail from MECC via a "dumb" terminal connected to a central mainframe using an acoustic coupled modem. Fortunately gaming ...

darrin - Eco-Responsibility...e-Subscriptions...

Oct 17, 2:51 PM

While cleaning out my office (see previous blog ) I came across a stack of periodicals that I haven't gotten around to, nor will ever get around to, reading. It was pretty clear to me that from an ...