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

• US 7,894,452 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Eruslanov, Eugene, Gorinov, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Salman
• Application Number:
  US11/808,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20080310434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 370/336, 370/401, 370/216, 370/329, 370/352, 370/392, 370/395.5, 370/428, 455/424, 725/81, 714/716
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• 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 second network;

determining whether to provide said data to a first network communication device or to a second network communication device for conversion into TCP data packets, each of said first and second network communication devices adapted to convert data into TCP data packets, wherein determining whether to provide said data to said first network communication device or to said second network communication device for conversion into TCP data packets comprises determining whether said second network communication device is active, wherein if said second network communication device is active, then said determination is made to provide said data to said first network communication device; and

upon determining to provide said data to said first network communication device for conversion into TCP data packets, then;

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

converting said data into TCP data packets by said first network communication device; and

providing said TCP data packets converted by said first network communication device to said second network communication device for transmission over said second network.

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

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing data to said first network communication device for conversion into TCP data packets occurs while said second network communication device is active.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said first network communication 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 communication device for conversion into TCP 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 packets, and a first network communication circuit for communication of TCP packets on a first network;

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

a processor to receive data to be transmitted over said second network, to determine whether to provide said data to said first network communication device or to said second network communication device for separating said data into TCP packets, wherein said processor is to determine to provide said data to said first network communication device if said second network communication device is active,

wherein if said determination is to provide said data to said first network communication device for separating said data into TCP packets, then said processor is to route said data to said first network control circuit of said first network communication device for packetizing said data into TCP data packets, to receive said TCP data packets from said first network communication device, and to route said TCP data packets to said second network communication 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 circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first network control circuit is configured to produce TCP data packets while said second network communication device is transmitting data packets over said second network.

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

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said NIC1G Ethernet communication circuit is configured to operate in loopback mode.

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