Multi-threaded packet processing engine for stateful packet processing

A method for concurrently processing a multiplicity of tasks, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) implementing in a single processing engine a multiplicity of processing tribes, each tribe comprising a multiplicity of context register sets and a multiplicity of processing resources for concurrent processing of a multiplicity of threads to accomplish the tasks;
• (b) providing to the processing engine a memory structure having a multiplicity of memory blocks, each block storing data for processing threads, the memory blocks connected to the tribes in a way that individual ones of the tribes have preferential access to individual ones of the multiplicity of memory blocks;
• (c) connecting the tribes through an interconnect structure and control system enabling tribe-to-tribe migration of contexts to move threads from tribe-to-tribe;
• and
• (d) initiating a thread, including a program counter and context in registers, in a first one of the multiplicity of tribes for each task received.