Network interface with transmit frame descriptor reuse

A system, comprising:

• a first network station including
• a host device including a host memory to store a plurality of data frames and a plurality of transmit frame descriptors identifying the plurality of data frames;
• a network interface unit, coupled to the host device, including a controller to fetch a first one of the transmit frame descriptors from the host memory and to enable a first transmission of at least one portion of a first one of the data frames to a second network station in response to the first transmit frame descriptor and to fetch a next one of the transmit frame descriptors from the host memory prior to completion of the first transmission;
• the controller further is operable to reuse at least the first transmit frame descriptor to enable a retransmission of the at least one portion of the first data frame to the second network station in response to an absence of an acknowledgment of the first transmission from the second network station;
• and
• the first and the second network stations being communicatively coupled to each other over a wireless medium.

A method, comprising:

• transferring a first transmit frame descriptor from a host memory of a network station to an interface memory of a network interface unit, the network station also hosting the network interface unit;
• using the first transmit frame descriptor in the network to enable a first transmission of at least one portion of a first data frame stored in the host memory;
• transferring a next transmit frame descriptor from the host memory to the interface memory at least prior to the completion of the first transmission;
• and
• reusing at least the first transmit frame descriptor to enable a retransmission of the at least one portion of the first data frame in response to an absence of an acknowledgment of the first transmission.