Efficient Networks, Inc.

William A Perry

Klaus S Fosmark

Kevin S Dibble

Chase B Bailey

Kenneth A Lauffenberger

An ATM adapter for desktop applications includes an adapter for interfacing an ATM network. The adapter includes an ATM application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ATM ASIC may interface with a data bus such as an SBus using a host interface circuit. The host interface circuit includes a bus interface, a DMA controller and a slave access controller. The DMA controller controls DMA operations within the ATM ASIC and associates with a RAM interface arbiter. The slave access controller controls operation of an interrupt circuit that goes to the SBus as well as a statistics circuit. The RAM interface arbiter arbitrates communication between the DMA controller, the slave access control circuit, a segmentation engine, and a reassembly engine. The RAM interface arbiter communicates with the RAM bus to a RAM associated with an adapter. The segmentation engine segments data into ATM format for transfer through a physical interface circuit. The physical interface circuit also receives formatted ATM information and sends that information to the reassembly engine. The reassembly engine reassembles the ATM data and transmits it through the RAM interface/arbiter circuit to the RAM bus. From the RAM bus, data may pass again through the RAM interface/arbiter to the DMA controller and onto the SBus through the host bus interface.

Asynchronous transfer mode adapter for desktop applications

This invention provides a system for transparently mapping user level non-asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) sockets to an ATM virtual channel circuit associated with an operating system of a computer workstation and includes an ATM middleware subsystem for receiving a plurality of ATM extension calls from a non-ATM aware application and translating the plurality of ATM extension calls to a plurality of native ATM API calls. A configuration data base stores translation data for translating the ATM extension calls from the non-ATM application to the native ATM API calls. A WinSocket.TM. application receives the native ATM API calls from the ATM middleware subsystem and responsively generates signals for controlling the operating system according to the contents of the native ATM API calls. The ATM middleware system further generates formatted calls to the operating system from the plurality of ATM extension calls according to preexisting protocols associated with the operating system.

Method and system for using layered networking application program

A multiple mode xDSL interface (60) is disclosed. The multiple mode xDSL interface (60) includes an xDSL termination unit (62) operable to couple to an XDSL link (64) and to manage communication of data across an xDSL physical layer. The mulitple mode xDSL interface (60) also includes a customer premises equipment (CPE) termination unit (65) coupled to the xDSL termination unit (62) and operable to couple to customer premises equipment. The CPE termination unit (65) has an operating mode selected from a plurality of operating modes where each operating mode is associated with a data protocol and supports communication of data across the xDSL physical layer using the associated data protocol.

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Carrollton, TX, United States of America

William A Perry