Architecture and apparatus for implementing 100 MBPS and GBPS ethernet address
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsSamuel Steven Allison, Kenneth James Barker, Joseph Kinman Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An architecture and NIC (Network Interface Card) for coupling Data Processing Equipment to a communications network includes a host memory having a High Priority Queue storing control information and data, a Low Priority Queue storing control information and data. Control registers, in the NIC, store addresses identifying the location of said Queues and a block size register, in the NIC, stores a value representing the size of data blocks to be transferred from the host memory to the NIC. A controller transfers allowable block size data from the host memory to buffers on said NIC.
Claims7
A method for controlling information flow within a communications network comprising the steps of:
- receiving in a NIC information to be transmitted onto the network from a first Queue and information from a second Queue;
- monitoring the communication network with an Address Match function to determine receipt of a MAC Pause Command;
- completing transmissions already in progress at a time when said MAC Pause Command was received;
- stop transmitting information from one of the queues for a time period set forth in said MAC Pause Command;
- and
- resuming transmission from the Queue where transmission was interrupted as a result of the MAC Pause Command at the end of the Pause period.
A method for controlling information flow within a communications network comprising the steps of:
- receiving in a NIC information to be transmitted onto the network from a first Queue and information from a second Queue:
- monitoring the communication network with an Address Match function to determine receipt of a MAC Pause Command;
- stop transmitting information from one of the queues for a time period set forth in said MAC Pause Command;
- and
- resuming transmission from the Queue whereat transmission was interrupted as a result of the MAC Pause Command at the end of the Pause period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.