Abstract: A method and system for digital communication wherein nodes exchange messages at a first data rate in order to coordinate testing at a second, higher data rate. After testing is completed, the nodes exchange test results at the first data rate, and if conditions are satisfactory for operation at the second data rate user data are transmitted at the second data rate. Otherwise, user data are transmitted at the first data rate.

Abstract: A system and method of digital communication wherein a host on an InfiniBand network transmits Fibre Channel packets encapsulated within InfiniBand packets to a gateway which forwards the Fibre Channel packets to Fibre Channel device via a Fibre Channel network, and wherein Fibre Channel packets addressed to a host on an InfiniBand network are transmitted by a Fibre Channel device to a gateway, the gateway encapsulating the Fibre Channel packets within InfiniBand packets and transmitting the InfiniBand packets to an InfiniBand host, where the Fibre Channel packet is extracted.

Abstract: A system and method for accelerating input/output (IO) access operation on a virtual machine, The method comprises providing a smart IO device that includes an unrestricted command queue (CQ) and a plurality of restricted CQs and allowing a guest domain to directly configure and control IO resources through a respective restricted CQ, the IO resources allocated to the guest domain. In preferred embodiments, the allocation of IO resources to each guest domain is performed by a privileged virtual switching element. In some embodiments, the smart IO device is a HCA and the privileged virtual switching element is a Hypervisor.

Abstract: A network interface adapter includes a network interface, coupled to send and receive data packets over a network and a host interface, for coupling to a host processor and to a system memory associated therewith. The system memory contains context information with respect to a plurality of transport service instances used to send and receive the data packets over the network, each of the data packets belonging to a respective one of the service instances. Packet processing circuitry, coupled between the network interface and the host interface, processes the data packets using the context information of the respective service instances. A cache memory associated with the packet processing circuitry is coupled to load from the system memory and store the context information of the respective transport service instances for the data packets being processed by the packet processing circuitry.

Abstract: A network interface adapter includes an outgoing packet generator, adapted to generate an outgoing request packet for delivery to a remote responder responsive to a request submitted by a host processor and a network output port, coupled to transmit the outgoing request packet over a network to the remote responder. A network input port receives an incoming response packet from the remote responder, in response to the outgoing request packet sent thereto, as well as an incoming request packet sent by a remote requester. An incoming packet processor receives and processes both the incoming response packet and the incoming request packet, and causes the outgoing packet generator, responsive to the incoming request packet, to generate, in addition to the outgoing request packet, an outgoing response packet for transmission to the remote requester.

Abstract: A method for preventing deadlock in communication between a host software application and a network interface card (NIC), comprises writing a doorbell associated with at least one descriptor having a descriptor context to a buffer in the NIC, dropping at least one doorbell from the buffer if the buffer is full, thereby allowing a write of a new doorbell to the buffer, and recovering each dropped doorbell for further execution of descriptors associated with this doorbell. The descriptor execution is in order of posting by the application to the NIC. A system implementing the method comprises a doorbell drop mechanism and a doorbell recovery mechanism.

Abstract: A network interface adapter includes a memory interface, for coupling to a memory containing a first data packet composed in accordance with a first communication protocol, and a network interface, for coupling to a packet communication network. Packet processing circuitry in the adapter reads the first data packet from the memory via the memory interface, computes a checksum of the first data packet, inserts the checksum in the first data packet in accordance with the first communication protocol, and encapsulates the first data packet in a payload of a second data packet in accordance with a second communication protocol applicable to the packet communication network, so as to transmit the second data packet over the network via the network interface. The circuitry likewise computes checksums of incoming encapsulated data packets from the network.

Abstract: A network interface adapter includes a network interface, coupled to send and receive data packets over a network and a host interface, for coupling to a host processor and to a system memory associated therewith. The system memory contains context information with respect to a plurality of transport service instances used to send and receive the data packets over the network, each of the data packets belonging to a respective one of the service instances. Packet processing circuitry, coupled between the network interface and the host interface, processes the data packets using the context information of the respective service instances. A cache memory associated with the packet processing circuitry is coupled to load from the system memory and store the context information of the respective transport service instances for the data packets being processed by the packet processing circuitry.

Abstract: A network interface adapter includes an outgoing packet generator, adapted to generate an outgoing request packet for delivery to a remote responder responsive to a request submitted by a host processor and a network output port, coupled to transmit the outgoing request packet over a network to the remote responder. A network input port receives an incoming response packet from the remote responder, in response to the outgoing request packet sent thereto, as well as an incoming request packet sent by a remote requester. An incoming packet processor receives and processes both the incoming response packet and the incoming request packet, and causes the outgoing packet generator, responsive to the incoming request packet, to generate, in addition to the outgoing request packet, an outgoing response packet for transmission to the remote requester.