Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method and system for controlling packet flow through a protocol stack. The system comprises the layer manager which interfaces with each stack layer. The layer manager handles the packet flow to the stack layers. For a new packet path to be supported, only the Layer Manager needs to be modified, not the stack layers. This makes the implementation of the layers in the protocol stack easier. In an alternative embodiment, the layer manager comprises a plurality of protocol descriptor lists for supported services and uses these lists to route a packet to the appropriate stack layer. With this alternative embodiment, new stack layers may be inserted into the protocol stack without the need to modify the existing stack layers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for controlling packet flow through a protocol stack. The method includes: receiving a packet by a layer manager, wherein the layer manager may interface with each layer of the protocol stack; determining a service associated with the packet by the layer manager; accessing a list of layers of the protocol stack for the service by the layer manager; and routing the packet to a layer of the protocol stack according to the list. The layer manager comprises a plurality of protocol descriptor lists for supported services and uses these lists to route a packet to the appropriate stack layer. In this manner, the stack layers need not have knowledge of the other layers or of the proper routing of the packet. This makes the implementation of the layers in the protocol stack easier.