Network traffic accelerator system and method
First Claim
1. A method for processing packets in a communications network implementing a TCP/IP protocol, comprising:
- a. providing a network traffic accelerator (NTA) implementing internally an internal transport layer, an internal network layer and at least one internal data link layer, said internal transport, network and at least one data link layers connected along an internal receive path;
b. processing in said at least one internal data link layer a packet originating from a physical layer;
c. round robin arbitrating the joining on said receive path of said packets originating from internal and external physical layers,d. forwarding said packets to said internal network layer;
e. checking whether said packet is supported by a protocol of said internal network layer; and
f. based on the result of said checking, processing said packet in a network layer selected from the group consisting of said internal network layer and an external network layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network traffic accelerator (NTA) in a TCP/IP communication network comprises a hardware implemented internal network layer, transport layer and data link layer, and is configured to process protocol-supported or protocol-unsupported packets. Both protocol-supported and protocol-unsupported packets may originate from internal or external layers. The NTA includes means to merge such internally and externally originated packages into an internal receive or an internal transmit path, means to split transmit packets between two paths through two data link layers, and means to direct protocol-unsupported packets for external processing.
62 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method for processing packets in a communications network implementing a TCP/IP protocol, comprising:
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a. providing a network traffic accelerator (NTA) implementing internally an internal transport layer, an internal network layer and at least one internal data link layer, said internal transport, network and at least one data link layers connected along an internal receive path; b. processing in said at least one internal data link layer a packet originating from a physical layer; c. round robin arbitrating the joining on said receive path of said packets originating from internal and external physical layers, d. forwarding said packets to said internal network layer; e. checking whether said packet is supported by a protocol of said internal network layer; and f. based on the result of said checking, processing said packet in a network layer selected from the group consisting of said internal network layer and an external network layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A network traffic accelerator comprising:
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a. an internal transport layer, an internal network layer and at least one internal data link layer connected along an internal transmit path and an internal receive path; and b. first means for processing a packet traveling along said receive path, said packet originating from a section layer selected from the group consisting of an internal physical layer and an external physical layer, wherein said packet is selected from the group consisting of a protocol-support packet and a protocol unsupported packet, wherein each said packet is selected from the group of an external packet and an internal packet, and wherein said first means include a first arbiter connected in said internal return path to said internal network layer and operative to perform round robin arbitration between said external and internal packets and a first switch connected in said internal return path between said first arbiter and said internal data link layer, said first switch operative to direct a packet for processing in a network layer selected from the group of said internal network layer and an external network layer. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A network traffic accelerator comprising:
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a. an internal transport layer, an internal network layer and at least one internal data link layer connected along an internal transmit path and an internal receive path; b. first means for processing a packet traveling along said receive path, said packet originating from a section layer selected from the group consisting of an internal physical layer and an external physical layer; c. second means for processing a packet traveling along said transmit path, wherein said packet is selected from the group consisting of a protocol-supported packet and a protocol unsupported packet and originates from a physical layer selected from a group consisting of an internal section layer and an external section layer; wherein said second means include a second switch connected in said internal transmit path between said internal transport and network layers, said second switch operative to direct a packet for processing in a network layer selected from the group of said internal network layer and an external network layer. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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Specification