Addressing technique for storing and referencing packet data
First Claim
1. A method of processing packets for storage in a communications system memory device, each packet comprising a header having a circuit identification (ID) field, a packet length field, an address type field, an address length field, an address field, a frame-check sequence field and an information field, the method comprising the steps of:
- using the circuit ID field content of a packet as a pointer into a plurality of memory registers that hold control information for a plurality of virtual circuits;
accessing the memory register corresponding to the content of the circuit ID field, said memory register further comprising a size field;
comparing the content of the packet length field to the content of the size field in the accessed memory register; and
determining whether the packet'"'"'s information field content will be stored, based on the comparison.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hierarchical addressing technique is employed in a packet communications system to enhance flexibility in storing and referencing packet information. This method permits packet message data and certain packet control data to be stored in memory locations without having to be duplicated at a different memory location prior to transmission of the packet. This method is preferably employed in a ring configuration in which a series of packets have addressing mechanisms which points sequentially to each other to form a ring of packets received or to be transmitted.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of processing packets for storage in a communications system memory device, each packet comprising a header having a circuit identification (ID) field, a packet length field, an address type field, an address length field, an address field, a frame-check sequence field and an information field, the method comprising the steps of:
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using the circuit ID field content of a packet as a pointer into a plurality of memory registers that hold control information for a plurality of virtual circuits; accessing the memory register corresponding to the content of the circuit ID field, said memory register further comprising a size field; comparing the content of the packet length field to the content of the size field in the accessed memory register; and determining whether the packet'"'"'s information field content will be stored, based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In an information system in which data is communicated using packets, each packet having a control data portion and a message data portion, a packet communication method comprising the steps of:
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storing said message data portion of a packet in a first memory; storing at least some of said control data portion of the packet in a second memory; and
defining where in the first memory the message data portion of the packet is stored using a hierarchical addressing protocol, said hierarchical addressing protocol including a control block, responsive to storage of the at least some of the control data portion of the packet, for indexing a first packet descriptor said first packet descriptor for further indexing a first buffer descriptor, said first buffer descriptor for further indexing a buffer in the first memory where the message data portion of the packet is stored. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification