Method and apparatus for handling incoming data frames
AssigneeNXP USA, Inc.
InventorJohn Ralston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for handling incoming data frames within a network interface controller. The network interface controller comprises at least one controller component operably coupled to at least one memory element. The at least one controller component is arranged to identify a next available buffer pointer from a pool of buffer pointers stored within a first area of memory within the at least one memory element, receive an indication that a start of a data frame has been received via a network interface, and allocate the identified next available buffer pointer to the data frame.
Claims18
A network interface controller comprising at least one controller component operably coupled to at least one memory element;
- the at least one controller component arranged to:
- identify a next available buffer pointer from a pool of buffer pointers based at least partly on availability check bits for buffer pointer entries within the pool of buffer pointers, wherein the pool of buffer pointers are stored within a first area of memory within the at least one memory element;
- load the identified next available buffer pointer into a buffer pointer register, wherein the buffer pointer register is a separate memory location the first area of memory that the pool of buffer pointers are stored;
- receive a start of a data frame via a network interface after the identified next available buffer pointer is loaded into the buffer pointer register;
- and
- allocate the identified next available buffer pointer to the data frame.
A signal processing system comprising a network interface controller, the network interface controller comprising at least one controller component operably coupled to at least one memory element;
- the at least one controller component arranged to:
- identify a next available buffer pointer from a pool of buffer pointers based at least partly on availability check bits for buffer pointer entries within the pool of buffer pointers, wherein the pool of buffer pointers are stored within a first area of memory within the at least one memory element, wherein the pool of buffer pointers is a single pool of buffer pointers associated with a plurality of frame descriptor queues;
- receive a start of a data frame via a network interface;
- and
- allocate the identified next available buffer pointer to the data frame.
A method of handling incoming data frames within a network interface controller, the method comprising, within a controller component of the network interface controller:
- identifying a next available buffer pointer from a pool of buffer pointers based at least partly on availability check bits for buffer pointer entries within the pool of buffer pointers, wherein the pool of buffer pointers are stored within a first area of memory within at least one memory element operably coupled to the network interface controller, wherein the pool of buffer pointers is a single pool of buffer pointers associated with a plurality of frame descriptor queues;
- receiving a start of a data frame via a network interface;
- and
- allocating the identified next available buffer pointer to the data frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.