Network interface device that alerts a monitoring processor if configuration of a virtual nid is changed

Abstract

A Network Interface Device (NID) of a web hosting server implements multiple virtual NIDs. For each virtual NID there is a block in a memory of a transactional memory on the NID. This block stores configuration information that configures the corresponding virtual NID. The NID also has a single managing processor that monitors configuration of the plurality of virtual NIDs. If there is a write into the memory space where the configuration information for the virtual NIDs is stored, then the transactional memory detects this write and in response sends an alert to the managing processor. The size and location of the memory space in the memory for which write alerts are to be generated is programmable. The content and destination of the alert is also programmable.