Abstract: A network adapter with an interrupt generation circuit to minimize the number of host computer system interrupts needed to notify the host computer system that the network adapter has consumed one or more host memory buffers. The interrupt generation circuit issues an interrupt to the host computer system when the host computer system has entered both a transmit sleep state and a receive sleep state, and the network adapter has consumed a host memory buffer not processed by the host computer system. When the host computer system has no work to do with respect to transmit buffers in the host computer memory, it enters a transmit sleep state and indicates to the network adapter the last transmit buffer it processed. When the host computer system has no work to do with respect to receive buffers in the host computer memory, it enters a receive sleep state and indicates to the network adapter the last receive buffer it processed.

Abstract: A network adapter with high throughput data transfer circuit to optimize network data transfers, with host receive ring resource monitoring and reporting is disclosed. Time critical network data is transferred between the network adapter and the host computer system by means of a high throughput data transfer circuit. The high throughput data transfer circuit is designed to provide throughput equal to the bandwidth of a high speed local area network such as the Fiber Distributed Data Interconnect. The high throughput data transfer circuit will inform the local intelligence of the network adapter if the network adapter has used up all host computer system memory allocated for storing data received from the network. Adapter management data is transferred between the network adapter and the host computer system local area network through a lower throughput data transfer circuit.