Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

3com Corporation

Mark A Sankey

Stephen A Hauser

Edward J McLellan

David J Husak

James Arthur Farrell

Christopher P Lawler

Stephen L Van Seters

Donald A Priore

Andrew T Brown

Andrew D Funk

Paul Schmitt

Thomas B Brightman

John F Brown

An integrated circuit () for use in processing streams of data generally and streams of packets in particular. The integrated circuit () includes a number of packet processors (), a table look up engine (), a queue management engine () and a buffer management engine (). The packet processors () include a receive processor (), a transmit processor () and a risc core processor (), all of which are programmable. The receive processor () and the core processor () cooperate to receive and route packets being received and the core processor () and the transmit processor () cooperate to transmit packets. Routing is done by using information from the table look up engine () to determine a queue () in the queue management engine () which is to receive a descriptor () describing the received packet's payload.

High speed and high throughput digital communications processor with efficient cooperation between programmable processing components

Digital communications processor

A method and apparatus for receiving and transmitting network frames via an internetworking device, in which a first portion of a total number of buffers is allocated among port-dedicated buffer pools, and a second portion is placed in a common pool accessible by any of the network ports. A frame is received at a first port, and a list of buffers accessible only by that port is referenced to identify buffers not already in use. A second list of buffers in the common pool is referenced to identify unused buffers for use if insufficient unused buffer space is available in the port-dedicated buffer pool. Frame data is then stored in the identified buffer(s). Upon retransmission, the buffer(s) used to store the. transmitted frame is released to the port-dedicated and/or common buffer pool(s).

Method and apparatus for internetworking buffer management

A method and apparatus for receiving and transmitting network frames via an internetworking device, in which a first portion of a total number of buffers is allocated among port-dedicated buffer pools, and a second portion is placed in a common pool accessible by any of the network ports. A frame is received at a first port, and a list of buffers accessible only by that port is referenced to identify buffers not already in use. A second list of buffers in the common pool is referenced to identify unused buffers for use if insufficient unused buffer space is available in the port-dedicated buffer pool. Frame data is then stored in the identified buffer(s). Upon retransmission, the buffer(s) used to store the transmitted frame is released to the port-dedicated and/or common buffer pool(s).

Growing community of inventors

Acton, MA, United States of America

Mark A Sankey