Packet data traffic management apparatus
AssigneeInnovasic, Inc.
InventorsAndrew David Alsup, Taylor M. Wray, Kurt H. Coonrod
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A packet data network traffic management device comprises a plurality of ports comprising at least a first port, a second port, and a third port; and a plurality of deterministic multi-threaded deterministic micro-controllers, each of the micro-controllers associated with a corresponding one of the ports to control packet data through the corresponding port; and the plurality of multi-threaded deterministic micro-controllers cooperatively operate to selectively communicate data packets between the plurality of ports.
Claims23
(canceled)
A network traffic management device for coupling a host device to the packet data network, the traffic management device comprising:
- a first network port interface and a second network port interface, wherein each network port interface includes a port input output (I/O) controller and port I/O controller firmware memory, and is operable to receive and transmit network frames of packetized information via the packet data network;
- and
- a host interface including a host I/O controller and host I/O controller firmware memory, wherein the host interface is operable to transfer data between the packet data network traffic management device and a host device;
- wherein the port and host I/O controllers are configured to operate according to a first specified type of Ethernet protocol when a first firmware is loaded into the port and host I/O controller firmware memories, and operate according to a second specified type of Ethernet protocol when a second firmware is loaded into the port and host I/O controller firmware memories.
A method of controlling operation of a network traffic management device of a packet data network, the method comprising:
- loading firmware into storage circuitry of the network traffic management device using at least one of a network port interface or a host interface of the network traffic management device;
- and
- forwarding the firmware from the storage circuitry to firmware memory of a first network port input output (I/O) controller, a second network port I/O controller and a host I/O controller of the network traffic management device, wherein the port and host I/O controllers are configurable to operate according to a plurality of types of Ethernet protocols and the forwarded firmware configures the I/O controllers to operate according to a first specified type of Ethernet protocol of the plurality of types of Ethernet protocols.
A network traffic management device for coupling a host device to the packet data network, the traffic management device comprising:
- means for loading firmware into a packet memory of the network traffic management device;
- and
- means for forwarding the firmware from the packet memory to firmware memory of a first network port input output (I/O) controller, a second network port I/O controller and a host I/O controller of the network traffic management device, wherein I/O controllers are configurable to operate according to a plurality of types of Ethernet protocols and the forwarded firmware configures the I/O controllers to operate according to a first specified type of Ethernet protocol of the plurality of types of Ethernet protocols.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.