Plug-in equipped updateable firmware

A network routing device comprising:

• a bus;
• a processor coupled to the bus;
• a non-volatile memory device coupled to the bus to store a plurality of software modules including a first category of software modules and a second category of software modules;
• a volatile memory device coupled to the bus:
• to receive from the non-volatile memory device, a first software module belonging to the first category of software modules and a second software module belonging to a second category of software modules, the first software module to be received at a predetermined, fixed memory address indicated in the first software module within the volatile memory device and the second software module to be received at a run-time assigned memory address within the volatile memory device, and
• to store the run-time assigned memory address in association with the second software module.

An article comprising:

• a machine readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of machine readable instructions, wherein when executed, the instructions cause a processor to:
• categorize a plurality of software modules stored within a non-volatile memory device as belonging to one of a plurality of software module categories;
• extract to a predetermined, fixed memory address within a volatile memory device, a first software module categorized as belonging to a first category of software modules, the fixed memory address indicated in the first software module;
• extract to a run-time assigned memory address within the volatile memory device, a second software module categorized as belonging to a second category of software modules;
• and
• store the run-time assigned memory address in the volatile memory device.

A method comprising:

• extracting a first software module from a non-volatile memory and placing it in a first region of a volatile memory having a predetermined, fixed memory address indicated in the first software module;
• extracting a second software module from the non-volatile memory and placing it in the volatile memory in a second region having a run-time assigned memory address;
• creating a table in the non-volatile memory to store memory address information corresponding to the second software module to enable the first software module to access the second software module;
• and
• accessing the table to provide a function from the second software module to the first software module.

An article of manufacture comprising:

• an electronically accessible medium providing instructions that, when executed by one or more machines, cause the one or more machines to
• extract a first software module from a non-volatile memory and place it in a first region of a volatile memory having a predetermined, fixed memory address indicated in the first software module;
• extract a second software module from the non-volatile memory and place it in the volatile memory in a second region having a run-time assigned memory address;
• create a table in the non-volatile memory to store memory address information corresponding to the second software module;
• and
• access the table to provide a function from the second software module to the first software module.