National Semiconductor Corporation

Ted Chang

Matthew James Webb

John E Gavlik

There is disclosed an apparatus for controlling a physical layer interface of a network interface card. The apparatus comprises: 1) a read only memory (ROM) for storing an embedded control program; 2) a random access memory for storing a downloadable software control program; and 3) a microcontroller for controlling the physical layer interface, wherein the microcontroller in a first operating mode executes the embedded control program to thereby control the physical layer interface, and wherein the microcontroller in a second operating mode downloads the downloadable software control program from an external processing system and executes the software control program in place of the embedded control program to thereby control the physical layer interface.

Network interface card using physical layer microcontroller and method of operation

There is disclosed an apparatus for controlling a physical layer interface of a network interface card in real time. The apparatus comprises: 1) a first memory for storing a multitasking control program, the multitasking control program comprising a main routine and a plurality of subroutines callable by the main routine; 2) a second memory for storing a plurality of multitasking vectors associated with the multitasking control program; and 3) a microcontroller for executing the multitasking control program, wherein program execution control is transferred from the main routine to a first one of the plurality of subroutines when the first subroutine is called by the main routine and wherein the first subroutine, upon encountering a decision point in the first subroutine that is not yet capable of being decided, updates a first one of the plurality of multitasking vectors associated with the first subroutine with an address of the decision point and transfers program execution control back to the main routine.

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Oak Park, CA, United States of America

Ted Chang