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 - Crossbow Sigcomm09 papers are now online

May 26, 7:14 PM

Crossbow Sigcomm09 papers are now online Here are the details of the two Crossbow ACM Sigcomm09 papers Crossbow: From Hardware Virtualized NICs to Virtualized Networks Abstract: This paper describes ...

droux - Crossbow for Cloud Computing Architectures

May 26, 10:21 AM

The first phase of Crossbow was integrated in OpenSolaris last December. I recently posted a paper which shows how Crossbow technology such as virtual NICs (VNICs), virtual switches, Virtual Wires ...

sunay - Crossbow Reserach papers in SIGCOMM, Party, Community One/Java One etc

May 18, 11:35 PM

Crossbow Reserach papers in SIGCOMM, Community One/Java One etc Last week was a very exciting week. Two of our research papers got accepted in SIGCOMM VISA09 and SIGCOMM WREN09 . This year, SIGCOMM ...

sunay - Crossbow: Virtualized switching and performance

Mar 17, 5:30 PM

Crossbow: Virtualized switching and performance Saw Cisco's unified fabric announcement. Seems like they are going after Cloud computing which pretty much promises to solve the world hunger problem. ...

sunay - Crossbow enables an Open Networking Platform

Mar 2, 11:10 PM

Crossbow enables an Open Networking Platform I came across this blog from Paul Murphy . You should read the second half of Pauls blog. What he says pretty true. Crossbow delivered a brand new ...