Smart NIC responding to requests from client device

1 . A method for transmitting data, the method comprising:

at a network interface controller (NIC) of a computer that operates as a server, the computer comprising a plurality of storage devices:

receiving a request from a client device for a particular file;

directly accessing without involvement of a CPU, by the NIC using a translation table stored in a memory of the NIC, a particulate one of the storage devices at the computer, the translating table mapping each file identifier to a device identifier and a memory address of the corresponding device;

translating the particular file into a memory location corresponding to the particular one of the storage devices at the computer; and

transmitting the requested file from the particular storage location to the client device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request comprises a data message storing an identifier for the particular file.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein translating the particular file comprises mapping the identifier to the particular device and memory location.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the request further comprises an offset indicating a specific portion of the particular file.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the memory location is a first memory location, wherein translating the particular file comprises:

mapping the identifier to the particular device and a second memory location; and

using the offset to identify the first memory location.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of storage devices of the computer comprises a plurality of non-volatile memory express (NVMe) devices.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the translation of the particular file into a memory location and the transmission of the requested file do not require use of any CPU of the computer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the translation of the particular file into a memory location is performed by the smart NIC without a CPU of the computer; and

the CPU manages a network connection with the client device.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the computer is a server for a streaming service; and

the request specifies a particular piece of media content and a time offset within the particular piece of media content.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the requested file comprises:

reading data from the memory location of the particular storage device; and

sending a set of data messages comprising the data.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the computer operates in a datacenter at which a plurality of files are stored across a plurality of computers operating as servers;

the request is received at a load balancer of the datacenter as a data message from the client device; and

the load balancer selects the computer from the plurality of computers and forwards the data message to the computer.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the load balancer comprises a NIC of a load balancer computer, wherein the NIC identifies the particular file requested in the data message and selects the computer based on the identification of the particular file.

13 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processing unit of a network interface controller (NIC) of a computer that operates as a server and comprises a plurality of storage devices, the program for transmitting data, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a request from a client device for a particular file;

directly accessing without involvement of a CPU, by the NIC using a translation table stored in a memory of the NIC, a particulate one of the storage devices at the computer, the translating table mapping each file identifier to a device identifier and a memory address of the corresponding device;

translating the particular file into a memory location corresponding to the particular one of the storage devices at the computer; and

transmitting the requested file from the particular storage location to the client device.

14 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the request comprises a data message storing an identifier for the particular file.

15 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the set of instructions for translating the particular file comprises a set of instructions for mapping the identifier to the particular device and memory location.

16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein:

the memory location is a first memory location;

the request further comprises an offset indicating a specific portion of the particular file; and

the set of instructions for translating the particular file comprises sets of instructions for:

mapping the identifier to the particular device and a second memory location; and

using the offset to identify the first memory location.

17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the translation of the particular file into a memory location and the transmission of the requested file do not require use of any CPU of the computer.

18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein:

the translation of the particular file into a memory location is performed by the smart NIC without a CPU of the computer; and

the CPU manages a network connection with the client device.

19 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein:

the computer is a server for a streaming service; and

the request specifies a particular piece of media content and a time offset within the particular piece of media content.

20 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the set of instructions for transmitting the requested file comprises sets of instructions for:

reading data from the memory location of the particular storage device; and

sending a set of data messages comprising the data.

21 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein:

the computer operates in a datacenter at which a plurality of files are stored across a plurality of computers operating as servers;

the request is received at a load balancer of the datacenter as a data message from the client device; and

the load balancer selects the computer from the plurality of computers and forwards the data message to the computer.

22 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the load balancer comprises a NIC of a load balancer computer, wherein the NIC identifies the particular file requested in the data message and selects the computer based on the identification of the particular file.