VIA meaning in Computing ?

Answer:

What is Virtual Interface Architecture mean?

The Virtual Interface Architecture (VIA) is an abstract model of a user-level zero-copy network, and is the basis for InfiniBand, iWARP and RoCE. Created by Microsoft, Intel, and Compaq, the original VIA sought to standardize the interface for high-performance network technologies known as System Area Networks (SANs; not to be confused with Storage Area Networks).

Networks are a shared resource. With traditional network APIs such as the Berkeley socket API, the kernel is involved in every network communication. This presents a tremendous performance bottleneck when latency is an issue.

One of the classic developments in computing systems is virtual memory, a combination of hardware and software that creates the illusion of private memory for each process. In the same school of thought, a virtual network interface protected across process boundaries could be accessed at the user level. With this technology, the "consumer" manages its own buffers and communication schedule while the "provider" handles the protection.

Thus, the network interface card (NIC) provides a "private network" for a process, and a process is usually allowed to have multiple such networks. The virtual interface (VI) of VIA refers to this network and is merely the destination of the user's communication requests. Communication takes place over a pair of VIs, one on each of the processing nodes involved in the transmission. In "kernel-bypass" communication, the user manages its own buffers.

Another facet of traditional networks is that arriving data is placed in a pre-allocated buffer and then copied to the user-specified final destination. Copying large messages can take a long time, and so eliminating this step is beneficial. Another classic development in computing systems is direct memory access (DMA), in which a device can access main memory directly while the CPU is free to perform other tasks.

In a network with "remote direct memory access" (RDMA), the sending NIC uses DMA to read data in the user-specified buffer and transmit it as a self-contained message across the network. The receiving NIC then uses DMA to place the data into the user-specified buffer. There is no intermediary copying and all of these actions occur without involvement of the CPUs, which has an added benefit of lower CPU utilization.

For the NIC to actually access the data through DMA, the user's page must be in memory. In VIA, the user must "pin-down" its buffers before transmission, so as to prevent the OS from swapping the page out to the disk. This action—one of the few that involve the kernel—ties the page to physical memory. To ensure that only the process that owns the registered memory may access it, the VIA NICs require permission keys known as "protection tags" during communication.

So essentially VIA is a standard that defines kernel bypassing and RDMA in a network. It also defines a programming library called "VIPL". It has been implemented, most notably in cLAN from Giganet (now Emulex). Mostly though, VIA's major contribution has been in providing a basis for the InfiniBand, iWARP and RoCE standards.

reference

Full Form	Category
Virtual Interface Action	Academic & Science
Very Innovative Architecture	Academic & Science
Visual Information Access	Academic & Science
Videira	Airport Code
Viacom, Inc.	Business
Vision Instinct And Action	Business
Values Into Action	Business
Very Important Assets	Business
ViaGold Capital Ltd	Business
Volunteers in Asia	Community
Volunteers In Action	Community
Valley Industry Association	Community
Vendors ISDN Association	Computer and Networking
Virus Information Alliance	Computing
Vax Information Architecture	Computing
Variable Interface Architecture	Computing
Virtual Interface Architecture	Computing
Viacoin	Cryptocurrency
Vertical Interconnect Access	Electronics
from Latin via, ablative of via “way, road, channel”	General
from Latin viā, ablative of via “way, road, channel”	General
Values Ideas and	General
Violent Intestinal Agitation	General
Vlaanderen in Actie	General
Vision Innovation and Achievement	General
Values in Action	General
Visual Intelligence And Analysis	General
Vereniging Informatiewetenschappen Amsterdam	General
Violet In Abloom	General
VGG Image Annotator	General
Versatile Interface Adapter	General
Visual Impact Assessment	General
Vehicle Inspection Association	General
Vehicle Interface Adaptor	General
Vicenza Auto	General
Vrienden Van Interessante Automobielen	General
Vehicle Industry Association	General
Vehicle Information Api	General
Vision Intent Action	General
Versatile Integrated Avionics	General
By the means of .... , or By way of ....	General
Virtues in Action	General
Vision Into Action	Governmental
Vision, Intent, and Action	Governmental
Vinitaly International Academy	International
Vancouver International Airport	International
Varna International Airways	International
Valutazione Impatto Ambientale	International
Veterinary Information Assistant	Jobs
Visualized Interactive Analysis	Medical
Adelaide Australian Coast Radio Service	Military and Defence
Very Intense Attack	Military and Defence
Vietcong Infantry Assault	Military and Defence
Vacuum Insertion Approximation	Physics Related
Via Rail Canada	Regional
Videira, SC, Brazil	Regional
Video Image Analysis	Space Science
Very Intense Adventure	Sports