Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for Internet communication comprises an application protocol, a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) protocol and a physical protocol. Data of the TCP/IP protocol stack are processed in parallel in hardware. In one embodiment, the hardware processing logic for each of transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), Internet control message protocol (ICMP), Internet group management protocol (IGMP), address resolution protocol (ARP) and reverse address resolution protocol (RARP) includes its own memory controller, a data buffer, a header buffer and control logic. Processing of data in parallel includes storing first unit processing data in a temporary buffer, initializing a checksum buffer to be used in a checksum calculation of the data, and storing the first unit processing data in a first buffer. A second processing step includes sub-steps of summing a second unit processing data and the value stored in the temporary buffer, and storing the second unit processing data into a second buffer. A third processing step includes sub-steps of storing third unit processing data in the temporary buffer, storing a value summed in the second unit time in the checksum buffer, and storing the third unit processing data in a third buffer. A fourth processing step includes sub-steps of summing fourth unit processing data and the stored value in the temporary buffer, and storing the fourth unit processing data in a fourth buffer. Processing steps are performed repeatedly to process the Internet protocol data, and, at each processing step, multiple operations are carried out simultaneously by a plurality of parallel processing units within a single unit time.

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First Claim