System and method for processing control information from a general through a data processor when a control processor of a network processor being congested

A method within a communication network for processing communication from a general processor to a network processor, said method comprising:

• receiving and decapsulating, by a network processor having a data processor to process data frame and a control processor to process control frame, an encapsulated packet into an informational frame;
• monitoring received packets to detect designation and frame type:
• in response to the encapsulated packet being designated as a data-type packet and the informational frame being a control frame, processing the control frame by the data processor.

A system for processing network communication, comprising:

• a general processor that encapsulates an informational frame into an encapsulated packet for transmission within a communication network from the general processor to a network processor having a data processor that processes data frames and a control processor that processes control frames wherein said general processor responsive to the informational frame being a control frame and the control processor being congested designates the encapsulated packet as a data-type packet for processing by the data processor.

A network processor, comprising:

• a data processor that processes data frames;
• and
• a control processor that processes control frames, wherein the network processor receives and decapsulates an encapsulated packet, that has been transmitted within a communication network from a general processor, into an informational frame and wherein the data processor, responsive to the encapsulated packet being designated as a data-type packet and the informational frame being a control frame, processes the control frame.

A program product for processing network communication from a general processor to a network processor, said program product comprising:

• a control program that instructs a general processor to encapsulate an informational frame into an encapsulated packet for transmission within a communication network from the general processor to a network processor having a data processor and a control processor and to designate a packet type for the encapsulated packet, wherein responsive to the informational frame being a control frame and the control processor being congested for processing the control frame, said control program instructs the general processor to designate the encapsulated packet as a data-type packet for processing by the data processor;
• and
• computer usable media bearing said control program.

A program product for processing network communication from a general processor to a network processor, said program product comprising:

• a control program that instructs a network processor having a data processor and a control processor to receive and decapsulate an encapsulated packet, that has been transmitted within a communication network from a general processor, into an informational frame, wherein responsive to the encapsulated packet being designated as a data-type packet and the informational frame being a control frame, said control program instructs the data processor to process the control frame;
• and
• computer usable media bearing said control program.

A data structure for network communication within a communication network including a general processor and a network processor having a data processor and a control processor, said data structure comprising:

• an encapsulated packet which includes at least a destination address field, a source address field, an informational type field, a control-point type field, a target processor field, and an informational frame, wherein the encapsulated packet is transmitted from the general processor to the network processor, and wherein the informational type field indicates a data-type setting if the encapsulated packet is a data-type packet and the control-point type field indicates a control-type setting to designate the informational frame for processing by the data processor.

A system to process network communication comprising:

• a general processor;
• at least one network processor operatively coupled to the general processor, said at least one network processor including a data processor to process data frames and a control processor to process control frame, wherein said general processor upon determining a frame to be transmitted is a control frame and the control processor is congested encapsulate the frame as a data packet that is forwarded to the data processor for processing.

A program product comprising:

• a medium on which a computer program is recorded, said computer program including a first set of instructions monitoring to detect congestion status of a control processor which processes a first type of information in a network processor;
• and
• a second set of instructions which encapsulates control informational frames as data packets which are forwarded to data processor in said network processor for processing only if the control processor is congested.