Appeal No. 1996-4025
Application 07/995,591
Independent claim 1 is reproduced as follows:
1. In a network of computer systems comprising a
plurality of computers and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)
switches, wherein said computers are coupled to each other
through said ATM switches, an apparatus for a computer to
asynchronously transfer data between itself and at least one
other computer through at least one of said ATM switches, said
apparatus comprising:
a) direct memory access (DMA) means coupled to said
computer for storing a plurality of DMA state blocks for a
plurality of memory-based virtual DMA channels for controlling
and tracking a plurality of DMAs to memory means of said
computer
for asynchronously transferring a plurality of transmit pack-
ets
from said computer to said ATM switches and a plurality of
receive packets from said ATM switches to said computer;
b) Segmentation And Reassembly (SAR) means coupled
to said memory means, and said DMA means for asynchronously
cellifying said transmit packets into transmit cell payloads
and reassembling receive cell payloads into said receive
packets on said computer, and SAR means asynchronously causing
said transmit and receive cell payloads to be transferred out
of and onto said computer, said SAR means further maintaining
said DMA state blocks for all the virtual DMA channels;
c) staging means coupled to said SAR means for
asynchronously staging said transmit cell payloads for trans-
mission and said receive cell payloads for reassembly, said
SAR means asynchronously pushing said transmit cell payloads
into said staging means and popping said receive cell payloads
from said staging means;
d) media cell management (MCM) means coupled to said
DMA means, SAR means, and said staging means for
asynchronously transferring said transmit and receive cell
3
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