Apparatus and method for transferring frame data between a host system memory and a network interface buffer memory employing transmit descriptors without transmit status information
US6581113B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 23, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 23, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F13/385
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A network interface device and a method of transferring data between a host and a network medium employs transmit descriptors that do not contain transmit status information. Upon fetching a transmit data frame from a host system memory at a location pointed to by a transmit descriptor, the network interface device immediately generates an interrupt to the CPU to allow the CPU to re-use the buffers in which the data frame was stored. At the same time, the network interface device attempts transmissions of the data frame to the network medium. Transmit status information is kept in statistics counters on the network interface device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.