Method and apparatus for the creation of TCP segments by simultaneous use of computing device components

• US 20080310434A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Eruslanov, Eugene, Gorinov, Ivan
• Granted Patent: US 7,894,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/12 Protocol engines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/166 IP fragmentation; TCP segmentation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for segmenting data into TCP data segments using a first network communication component, and transmitting TCP data segments over a second network using a second network communication component. TCP data segments may be created by a first network card that may be in a loopback mode while a second network card may be sending TCP data segments onto a network. Both network communication cards may be operating simultaneously and may improve efficiency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted over a network;

providing said data to a first network control device for conversion into data packets, said first network control device adapted for transmission over a first network; and

providing data packets converted by said first network control device to a second network control device for transmission over a second network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting said converted data packets over said second network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing data to said first network control device for conversion into data packets and providing data packets to said second network control device for transmission occur substantially simultaneously.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said first network control device in a loopback mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said second network is a wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said first network is a wired network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said data packets are stored in a memory.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing data to said second network control device for conversion into data packets.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a first network communication device, the first network communication device comprising a first control circuit for separating data into TCP segments, and a first network communication circuit;

a second network communication device, the second network communication device comprising a second control circuit for separating data into TCP segments, and a second network communication circuit;

a processor to route data to said first network control device for packetizing said data into data packets, to receive said data packets from said first network control device, and to route said data packets to said second network control device for transmission over said second network

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a memory to store data packets produced by said first network control device.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first network control device is capable of producing data segments while said second network control device is transmitting data segments over said second network.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first network control device comprises a Network Interface Card One Gigabyte (NIC1G) Ethernet communication circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said NIC1G Ethernet communication circuit is capable of operating in loopback mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said second network control device comprises a wireless communication circuit.