Method of transferring data implying a network analyser card
AssigneeNapatech A/S
InventorsWilliam Mark Dries, Christopher Bloxham, Kathryn Elizabeth Rickard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In conventional systems the CPU is altered after a data frame has been received and the packet stored in a host buffer. This interrupts normal operation of the CPU and applications, which is determined to systems performance. The invention relates to a method of transferring data from a network to a host using a network analyzer card, where a plurality of data frames from a network link is received and a descriptor is added to the frame. The descriptor includes data about the frame; each data frame and its or their attached descriptor is transferred to a host memory.
Claims17
A method of transferring multi-channel data received from a network to a host using a network analyzer card, the network analyzer card comprising:
- a receiver for receiving plural data frames from a network link on a first channel and a receiver for receiving plural data frames from the network link on a second channel;
- a descriptor adder configured and arranged to add a descriptor to at least some of the data frames received on the first channel and a descriptor adder configured and arranged to add a descriptor to at least some of the data frames received on the second channel, the descriptors including data about the data frame to which it is attached, the method comprising:
- receiving data from first and second channels on the receivers of the network analyser card;
- and,
- adding a next channel indicator bit in the descriptor associated with received data frames indicative of the next channel on which a data frame was received,
- storing the data frames with the associated descriptor,
- whereby when stored in an associated host memory said indicators can be used to directly merge data from said first and second channels in a desired order.
A network analyser card, the card comprising:
- a first receiver for receiving plural data frames from a network link on a first channel;
- and,
- a second receiver for receiving plural data frames from the network link on a second channel;
- a first descriptor adder configured and arranged to add a descriptor for storage with the respective data frame to at least some of the received data frames from the first channel, the descriptor including data about the data frame to which it is attached for use in processing of the data frame;
- a second descriptor adder configured and arranged to add a descriptor for storage with the respective data frame to at least some of the received data frames from the second channel, the descriptor including data about the data frame to which it is attached for use in processing of the data frame;
- wherein the first and second descriptor adders are configured and arranged to add an indicator in the descriptor associated with the data frames received by each of the two receivers to enable merging of data from the channels in an associated host, in which the indicator is a next channel indicator bit indicative of the next channel on which a data frame was received thereby enabling the merged data stream to be generated.
A method of creating a merged data stream in a network analyser card using data stored in regions of a host memory of the network analyser card, the regions corresponding to channels from which the data was received by the host from a network to which the network analyser card is connected, the merged data stream comprising data from at least two channels merged in a desired order, the method comprising:
- reading from a first region of the host memory data of a first data packet from a first channel, the data packet having been stored with a descriptor provided by a descriptor adder of the network analyser card;
- reading the descriptor associated with the first data packet, the descriptor containing a next channel indicator bit to indicate the next channel to be accessed;
- and,
- in dependence on the indicator, reading from another region of the host memory data of a data packet from the next channel thereby enabling the merged data stream to be generated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.