Abstract: Protocol encoder and decoder. A protocol library provides the ability to allow protocols to be decoded or encoded by decoupling software code generation for decoding and encoding from specific protocols. For encoding field values into a network frame, the invention works by associating field values provided by a user with keywords. These keywords are known by a protocol library which is accessed to provide information of the data structure of the protocol data units of the network frame to be constructed. For decoding field values, network frames and the name of a protocol data unit of the network frame is received. The protocol library may be accessed with the protocol name in order to retrieve information of the data structure of the protocol data unit. The value of a field may then be associated with an appropriate keyword for use by an operator in an application.

Abstract: Protocol Parser—Code Generator. A protocol parser—code generator provides use of a protocol definition language for allowing protocol information to be decoupled from operating systems and computer languages. For producing protocol knowledge of the structure of a protocol data unit for use in the analysis of network frame traffic, the invention works by allowing the use of a protocol definition language to define the data structure of fields in a protocol data unit in keywords. A parser associates each of the keywords describing the data structure of the fields with a corresponding table of a set of tables. Each table is linked together and has a data structure fields. A code generator then generates field code for each of the tables for use in providing protocol knowledge of the data structure of each of the fields of the protocol data unit.

Abstract: Network protocol emulator. A protocol finite state machine library provides the ability to allow protocols to be emulated by decoupling protocol information from emulation logic. The emulator system is disposed in a computer system and has a protocol emulator which includes state keywords to represent a number of behavior states that a particular one of the protocol states of the network frame may express, the particular one of the protocol states being associated with a particular one of the state keywords. Additionally, the protocol emulator includes a set of event keywords defining each state keyword representative of inputs that the protocol state may receive while being associated with the particular one of the state keywords.