Translating Between An Ethernet Protocol And A Converged Enhanced Ethernet Protocol

A network engine adapter arranged in a communication path between a first network component using an Ethernet protocol and a second network component using a CEE protocol to translate between the Ethernet protocol and the CEE protocol, the network engine adapter comprising a CEE converter and a CEE driver, the first network component coupled to the second network component through a CEE Converter, the CEE converter implemented independently and separate from the first and second network components and offloading credit based flow management among the first and second network components, the network engine adapter comprising one or more processors and computer memory storing computer program instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, causes the network engine adapter to carry out the steps of:

• for data flow from the first network component to the second network component:
• receiving, by the CEE converter, traffic flow definition parameters for a single CEE protocol data flow;
• calculating, by a credit manager implemented as part of the CEE converter, available buffer space in an outbound frame buffer of the CEE converter for the data flow;
• communicating, by the credit manager to a CEE credit driver executing in the first network component, the calculated size of the buffer space together with a start sequence number and a flow identifier;
• and
• responding, by the CEE credit driver to the CEE converter, with Ethernet frames comprising a private header that includes the flow identifier and a sequence number.

A computer program product for translating between an Ethernet protocol used by a first network component and a Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) protocol used by a second network component, the first network component coupled to the second network component through a CEE Converter, the CEE converter implemented independently and separate from the first and second network components and offloading credit based flow management among the first and second network components, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions stored on a computer readable medium, the computer program instructions, when executed, carry out the steps of:

• for data flow from the first network component to the second network component:
• receiving, by the CEE converter, traffic flow definition parameters for a single CEE protocol data flow;
• calculating, by a credit manager implemented as part of the CEE converter, available buffer space in an outbound frame buffer of the CEE converter for the data flow;
• communicating, by the credit manager to a CEE credit driver executing in the first network component, the calculated size of the buffer space together with a start sequence number and a flow identifier;
• and
• responding, by the CEE credit driver to the CEE converter, with Ethernet frames comprising a private header that includes the flow identifier and a sequence number.