Communication apparatus

A communication apparatus, comprising:

• a software protocol processing unit to perform protocol processing by use of software for a frame of transmitted data, the protocol processing being altered in accordance with contents of the frame;
• a hardware protocol processing unit to perform protocol processing using hardware for the frame of the transmitted data, the hardware protocol processing unit implemented by hardware different from that of the software protocol processing unit;
• a software protocol process information generating unit to generate protocol process information with respect to each frame of the transmitted data, the protocol process including any of first information which indicates the protocol processing completed by the software protocol processing unit and second information which indicates the protocol processing to be done by the software protocol process unit, and values which is obtained by the protocol processing by performed by the software protocol processing unit;
• and
• a hardware protocol process resumption unit to cause the hardware protocol processing unit to perform the protocol processing not completed by the software protocol processing unit, using the protocol process information.

A communication apparatus, comprising:

• a hardware protocol processing unit to perform protocol processing using hardware for a frame of received data and a frame of transmitted data;
• a software protocol processing unit to perform protocol processing using software for the frame of the received data and the frame of the transmitted data, the software protocol processing unit implemented by hardware different from that of the hardware protocol processing unit;
• a hardware protocol process information generating unit to generate protocol process information in reception, the protocol process information including information which indicates a portion for which the protocol processing is completed by the hardware protocol processing unit, and values which are obtained by the protocol processing performed by the hardware protocol processing unit;
• a software protocol process resumption unit to cause, in reception, the software protocol processing unit to perform the protocol processing not completed by the hardware protocol processing unit, using the protocol process information generated by the hardware protocol process information generating unit;
• a software protocol process information generating unit to generate protocol process information in transmission, the protocol process information including information which indicate a portion for which the protocol processing is completed by the software protocol processing unit, and values which are obtained by the protocol processing performed by the software protocol processing unit;
• and
• a hardware protocol process resumption unit to cause, in transmission, the hardware protocol processing unit to perform the protocol processing not completed by the software protocol processing unit, using the protocol process information generated by the software protocol process information generating unit.