Claims
- 1. Apparatus comprising:
a plurality of a computer systems each having
a central processing unit, and server memory; a network processor coupled to each of said computer systems and joining the coupled computer systems into a server farm, said network processor having
a plurality of interface processors; instruction memory storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors; data memory storing data passing through said network processor to and from each of said coupled computer systems accessibly to said interface processors; and a plurality of input/output ports;
one of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through said network processor with an external network under the direction of said interface processors; others of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through said network processor with said coupled computer systems; said network processor cooperating with said coupled computer systems in directing the exchange of data between said input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory to and from said coupled computer systems in response to execution by said interface processors of instructions loaded into said instruction memory.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said network processor comprises a semiconductor substrate and further wherein said interface processors, said instruction memory, said data memory and said input/output ports are formed on said semiconductor substrate.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said network processor processes communication protocols and exchanges with said coupled computer systems application data to be processed by said computer systems.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said coupled computer systems serve diverse purposes and said network processor directs application data to the appropriate one of said coupled computer systems for exercising the data in accordance with the appropriate purpose therefor.
- 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said coupled computer systems serve a common purpose and said network processor directs application data to varying ones of said coupled computer systems for exercising the data in a balanced flow among said coupled computer systems.
- 6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the number of said interface processors exceeds four.
- 7. A method comprising the steps of:
passing bit streams of data inbound toward a server farm from a data network through a network processor; processing and removing communication protocol bits from the bit streams at the network processor; distinguishing at the network processor among data bits appropriate for processing by a selected one of a plurality of computer systems coupled together with and by the network processor; passing application data bits from the network processor to the appropriate one of the coupled computer systems; passing bit streams of data outbound from the coupled computer systems toward the data network through the network processor; adding communication protocol bits to the bit streams at the network processor; and then passing the bit streams to the data network from the network processor.
Related Applications
[0001] The interested reader is referred, for assistance in understanding the inventions here described, to the following prior disclosures which are relevant to the description which follows and each of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this description as fully as if here repeated in full:
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,878 issued Apr. 16, 1991 for High Speed Modular Switching Apparatus for Circuit and Packet Switched Traffic;
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,348 issued Mar. 3, 1998 for Efficient Hardware/Software Interface for a Data Switch;
[0004] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/330,968 filed Jun. 11, 1999 and entitled “High Speed Parallel/Serial Link for Data Communication”;
[0005] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/384,689 filed Aug. 27, 1999 and entitled “VLSI Network Processor and Methods”;
[0006] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/384,691 filed Aug. 27, 1999 and entitled “Network Processor Processing Complex and Methods”;
[0007] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/384,692 filed Aug. 27, 1999 and entitled “Network Switch and Components and Method of Operation”; and
[0008] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/384,744 filed Aug. 27, 1999 and entitled “Network Processor, Memory Organization and Methods”.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09551707 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
Child |
10640166 |
Aug 2003 |
US |