Claims
- 1. A method of communication between a network and a computer which includes a plurality of components, a network interface, and an internal packet switch bank for communicating therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:(a) receiving a network packet from the network into said network interface; (b) producing a local packet at said network interface, said local packet including a data portion of said network packet and a local header portion; and (c) communicating said local packet from said network interface to said internal packet switch bank, wherein said local packet is of a predetermined size and includes a predetermined size header portion and a predetermined size data payload portion, wherein a predetermined size of said predetermined size data payload portion corresponds to a predetermined size of a data payload portion of an ATM cell, and wherein a predetermined size of said predetermined size header portion is less than a predetermined size of a header portion of an ATM cell.
- 2. The method of communication as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of, between steps (a) and (b):(a1) stripping off a header portion from said network packet and determining whether or not said network packet is addressed to one of said plurality of components, wherein, said local packet does not include said header portion of said network packet.
- 3. A method of communication between a network and a computer which includes a plurality of components, a network interface, and an internal packet switch bank for communicating therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:(a) receiving a plurality of network packets from the network into said network interface, each of said network packets including a header portion and a data portion; (b) stripping off said header portion of each of said network packets to determine whether any of said network packets are destined to any of said plurality of components; (c) if any of said network packets are destined to any of said plurality of components, producing a local packet at said network interface, said local packet including a local header portion and data portions from each of said plurality of network packets that are determined to be destined to any of said plurality of components, said data portions being contiguously positioned in a back-to-back manner within said local packet and said local header portion being positioned at a beginning portion of said local packet; and (d) communicating said local packet from said network interface to said internal packet switch bank, wherein said local header portion does not include said header portion of said network packets that was stripped off in step (b).
- 4. The method of communication as recited in claim 3, wherein step (b) comprises the steps of:(1) removing a header portion from each of said plurality of network packets; (2) assembling a local data portion from said data portions from each of said plurality of network packets; and (3) adding said local header portion to said local data portion to produce said local packet.
- 5. The method of communication as recited in claim 3, wherein said network packet is an ATM cell.
- 6. The method of communication as recited in claim 3, wherein said local packet is of a predetermined size and includes a predetermined size header portion and a predetermined size data payload portion, wherein a predetermined size of said predetermined size data payload portion corresponds to an integer multiple of a predetermined size of a data payload portion of an ATM cell.
- 7. A method of communication between a network and a computer which includes a plurality of components, a network interface, and an internal packet switch bank for communicating therebetween, said method comprising the steps of:(a) receiving a plurality of network packets from the network into said network interface; (b) producing a local packet at said network interface, said local packet including data portions from each of said plurality of network packets and a local header portion; and (c) communicating said local packet from said network interface to said internal packet switch bank, wherein said local packet is of a predetermined size and includes a predetermined size header portion and a predetermined size data payload portion, wherein a predetermined size of said predetermined size data payload portion corresponds to an integer multiple of a predetermined size of a data payload portion of an ATM cell, and wherein a predetermined size of said predetermined size header portion is less than a predetermined size of a header portion of an ATM cell.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to an application entitled “COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE USING PACKET SWITCHES FOR INTERNAL DATA TRANSFER,” Ser. No. 08/915,631, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,366 which is filed concurrently with this application and which is incorporated by reference herein.
This application is also related to provisional application 60/039,423, filed Mar. 7, 1997, to which this application is entitled to that priority date.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/039423 |
Mar 1997 |
US |