Direct memory access (DMA) engine for diagnostic data

A method, comprising:

• in a network-connected device, receiving, buffering, processing and transmitting packets over a network using packet processing circuitry;
• and
• using Diagnostics Direct Memory Access (DMA) Circuitry (DDC) in the network-connected device:
• receiving a definition of (i) one or more diagnostic events, and (ii) for each diagnostic event, a corresponding list of diagnostic data that is generated in the packet processing circuitry and that pertains to the diagnostic event;
• and
• responsively to occurrence of a diagnostic event, gathering, in a diagnostics data buffer, diagnostic data of the list corresponding to the diagnostic event from a plurality of sub-units of the packet processing circuitry, through aggregation circuitry connecting the plurality of sub-units to the diagnostics data buffer.

A method, comprising:

• in a network device, receiving, processing and transmitting packets over a network using packet-processing circuitry;
• and
• operating, in the network device, diagnostic circuitry that:
• receives a definition of (i) diagnostic events that are expected to occur in the network device, and (ii) for each diagnostic event, a corresponding list of diagnostic data that is to be collected for analysis from the packet-processing circuitry;
• and
• upon occurrence of a diagnostic event, gathers, in a diagnostics data buffer, the list of diagnostic data which corresponds to the diagnostic event according to the definition, from a plurality of sub-units of the packet processing circuitry, through aggregation circuitry connecting the plurality of sub-units to the diagnostics data buffer.