Method of communicating data from a host to a network controller

Claim 2

In a method of transmitting data from a main memory in a host computer over a system bus to a buffer memory located in a controller that is connected between said system bus and a network physical layer, and wherein said host is operating under a network operating system having a protocol stack which includes a lower protocol layer that provides a data structure that locates data in main memory to be transmitted over said physical link and communicates with a driver layer which in turn communicates with said controller, the improvement comprising the steps of: causing the loading of said lower protocol data structure with physical addresses at initialization; and causing said driver layer to create a single data structure that points directly to said lower protocol space data structure.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 further including the step of transferring said single data structure to said controller.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 wherein said network operating system is Netware and said lower protocol space data structure is a transmit control block and a transmit data block data structure.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 wherein said single data structure comprises a TxCB which includes: a header field; a link address field; an address field that points to said lower protocol space data structure; a data fragment number field; and a optional data byte count field.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein said transmit command block is located in driver space.

Claim 7

In a method of transmitting data from a main memory in a host computer over a system bus to a buffer memory located in a controller that is connected between said system bus and a network physical layer, and wherein said host is operating under a network operating system having a protocol stack which includes a lower protocol layer that provides transmit control blocks and transmit control block fragment arrays in a lower protocol space of said main memory and communicates with a driver layer which in turn communicates with said controller, the method comprising the following steps: causing the loading of said transmit control block fragment arrays with physical addresses at initialization; creating transmit command blocks in driver a space in said main memory at initialization; acquiring a transmit command block; copying predetermined fields from said transmit control block to said transmit command block; setting up a pointer in said transmit command block to said transmit control block fragment array; and issuing a transmit command.

Claim 8

In a method of transmitting data from a main memory in a host computer over a system bus to a buffer memory located in a controller that is connected between said system bus and a network physical layer, and wherein said host is operating under a network operating system having a protocol stack which includes a lower protocol layer that provides transmit control blocks and transmit control block fragment arrays in a lower protocol space of said main memory and communicates with a driver layer which in turn communicates with said controller, the method comprising the following steps: causing the loading of said transmit control block fragment arrays with physical addresses at initialization; creating transmit command blocks in driver a space in said main memory at initialization; acquiring a transmit command block; copying predetermined fields from said transmit control block to said transmit command block; setting up a pointer in said transmit command block to said transmit control block fragment array; and issuing a transmit command.

Claim 9

The method of claim 6 wherein said NOS is Netware.

Claim 10

In a method of transmitting data from a main memory in a host over a system bus to a buffer memory located a controller having a first side connected to said system bus and to said buffer memory and a second side connected to a network physical layer and to said buffer memory, and wherein said host is operating under a NOS having a protocol stack which includes a lower protocol layer that provides a TCB and TCB fragment array in said main memory and communicates with a driver layer which in turn communicates with said controller, the method comprising not more than the following steps: upon initialization of said driver layer: causing the loading of said TCB fragment array with physical addresses; allocate a portion of said main memory exclusively as space for said driver; partition said driver space into a pool of a predetermined number of TxCBs; when a frame is to be transmitted over said physical link: acquire a free TxCB; setup command bits in said TxCB set up a link array address field; set up the TCB fragment structure address field: set up optional data byte count field; copy optional data from said TCB to said TxCB; set up a fragment count field; and issue Tx command to said controller.

Claim 11

In a method of transmitting data from a main memory in a host over a system bus to a buffer memory located a controller having a first side connected to said system bus and to said buffer memory and a second side connected to a network physical layer and to said buffer memory, and wherein said host is operating under a NOS having a protocol stack which includes a lower protocol layer that provides a TCB and TCB fragment array in said main memory and communicates with a driver layer which in turn communicates with said controller, the method comprising not more than the following steps: upon initialization of said driver layer: causing the loading of said TCB fragment array with physical addresses; allocate a portion of said main memory exclusively as space for said driver; partition said driver space into a pool of a predetermined number of TxCBs; when a frame is to be transmitted over said physical link: acquire a free TxCB; setup command bits in said TxCB set up a link array address field; set up the TCB fragment structure address field: set up optional data byte count field; copy optional data from said TCB to said TxCB; set up a fragment count field; and issue Tx command to said controller.