METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS
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Abstract
One embodiment of the invention includes a method of managing network communications in a network device. The network device includes software components and modules. Some of the components control the interaction between modules, while other components perform specific functions for associated modules. A module manager component controls the creation and destruction of modules as well as their interactions. A communications manager component manages network communications in the network device. The network communications is supported by creating a number of modules that are associated with components that implement different parts of a network protocol. As a result of the use of the modules, a component need not know which other component(s) it depends upon, nor need it know which other component(s) depend upon it. This allows components to be used together very easily in many different configurations. The modules also allow the same component to be used by multiple modules.
46 Citations
39 Claims
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1-24. -24. (canceled)
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25. A network device comprising:
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a high speed serial device (HSS) module; an HSS owner component in communication with the HSS module; an HSS leased line module in communication with the HSS module; an HSS leased line owner component in communication with the HSS leased line module; a point-to-point protocol (PPP) channel module in communication with the HSS leased line module; a PPP channel component in communication with the PPP channel module; a data link module in communication with the PPP channel module; and a PPP component in communication with the data link module. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for communicating between a layers in a module stack, wherein the module stack includes an a high speed serial device (HSS) module in communication with an HSS owner component and an HSS leased line module, wherein the HSS leased line module is in communication with an HSS leased line owner component and a point-to-point protocol (PPP) channel module, wherein the PPP channel module in communication with the PPP channel component and a data link module, wherein the data link module is in communication with a PPP component, the method comprising:
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in the HSS component, finding an upstream module link to the HSS leased line module; accessing a receive function pointer of the HSS leased line component from the upstream module link; communicating a packet to the HSS leased line component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the HSS leased line component; in the HSS leased line component, processing the packet from the HSS component; finding a PPP upstream module link to the PPP channel module; accessing a receive function pointer of the PPP channel component from the PPP upstream module link; communicating a packet to the PPP channel component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the PPP channel component; in the PPP channel component, processing the packet from the HSS leased line component; finding a data link upstream module link to the data link module; accessing a receive function pointer of the PPP component from the data link upstream module link; and communicating a packet to the PPP component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the PPP component.
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39. A method for communicating between a layers in a module stack, wherein the module stack includes an a high speed serial device (HSS) module in communication with an HSS owner component and an HSS leased line module, wherein the HSS leased line module is in communication with an HSS leased line owner component and a point-to-point protocol (PPP) channel module, wherein the PPP channel module in communication with the PPP channel component and a data link module, wherein the data link module is in communication with a PPP component, the method comprising:
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in the PPP channel component, finding a PPP downstream module link to the PPP channel module; accessing a receive function pointer of the PPP channel component from the data link downstream module link; and communicating a packet to the PPP channel component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the PPP channel component. in the PPP channel component, processing the packet from the PPP component; finding a HSS leased line downstream link to the HSS leased line module; accessing a receive function pointer of the HSS leased line component from the HSS leased line downstream module link; and communicating a packet to the HSS leased line component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the HSS leased line component; in the HSS leased line component, processing the packet from the PPP channel component; finding a HSS downstream module link to the HSS module; accessing a receive function pointer of the HSS component from the HSS downstream module link; and communicating a packet to the HSS component by directly calling the receive function pointer of the HSS component.
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Specification