Abstract: A flexible hybrid firewall architecture is disclosed. A system implementing such an architecture includes an access control register, a memory having at least a region to which access is controllable by the access control register, the access control register including first field that contains a privilege identifier (ID) and a plurality of additional fields, each additional field containing control bits corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of permission levels, and control circuitry that, in response to receiving a transaction containing a transaction privilege ID, a security indicator, and a privilege indicator, controls access to the region when the transaction privilege ID matches the privilege ID contained in the first field by using the control bits of a field of the additional fields that corresponds to a security level indicated by the security indicator and a privilege level indicated by the privilege indicator of the transaction.

Abstract: A flexible hybrid firewall architecture is disclosed. A system implementing such an architecture includes an access control register, a memory having at least a region to which access is controllable by the access control register, the access control register including first field that contains a privilege identifier (ID) and a plurality of additional fields, each additional field containing control bits corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of permission levels, and control circuitry that, in response to receiving a transaction containing a transaction privilege ID, a security indicator, and a privilege indicator, controls access to the region when the transaction privilege ID matches the privilege ID contained in the first field by using the control bits of a field of the additional fields that corresponds to a security level indicated by the security indicator and a privilege level indicated by the privilege indicator of the transaction.

Abstract: A flexible hybrid firewall architecture that allows a mix of firewalls at end points in front of a target and at the initiator points. Groups of Priv-IDs may be created where each group is isolated from other worlds, with all firewalls controlled by a device management and security module.

Abstract: A flexible hybrid firewall architecture that allows a mix of firewalls at end points in front of a target and at the initiator points. Groups of Priv-IDs may be created where each group is isolated from other worlds, with all firewalls controlled by a device management and security module.

Abstract: Systems and methods for header compression are described. In various implementations, these systems and methods may be applicable to wireless backhaul systems. For example, a method may include receiving a packet at a backhaul modem from an Ethernet switch, the packet having an uncompressed header comprising a concatenation of at least an Ethernet and an Internet Protocol (IP) header, and a payload; parsing the uncompressed header into a plurality of fields, the plurality of fields including a static field and a derivable field; removing the static field and the derivable field from the uncompressed header; adding a compressed field to the uncompressed header to create a compressed header; and transmitting the packet with the compressed header and the payload over a wireless link.

Abstract: Systems and methods for header compression are described. In various implementations, these systems and methods may be applicable to wireless backhaul systems. For example, a method may include receiving a packet at a backhaul modem from an Ethernet switch, the packet having an uncompressed header comprising a concatenation of at least an Ethernet and an Internet Protocol (IP) header, and a payload; parsing the uncompressed header into a plurality of fields, the plurality of fields including a static field and a derivable field; removing the static field and the derivable field from the uncompressed header; adding a compressed field to the uncompressed header to create a compressed header; and transmitting the packet with the compressed header and the payload over a wireless link.

Abstract: A network element including a processor with logic for managing packet queues including a queue of free packet descriptors. Upon the transmission of a packet by a host application, the packet descriptor for the transmitted packet is added to the free packet descriptor queue. If the new free packet descriptor resides in on-chip memory, relative to queue manager logic, it is added to the head of the free packet descriptor queue; if the new free packet descriptor resides in external memory, it is added to the tail of the free packet descriptor queue. Upon a packet descriptor being requested to be associated with valid data to be added to an active packet queue, the queue manager logic pops the packet descriptor currently at the head of the free descriptor queue. Packet descriptors in on-chip memory are preferentially used relative to packet descriptors in external memory.

Abstract: A network element including a processor with logic for managing packet queues by way of packet descriptor index values that are mapped to addresses in the memory space of the packet descriptors. A linking memory is implemented in the same integrated circuit as the processor, and has entries corresponding to the descriptor index values. Each entry can store the next descriptor index in a packet queue, to form a linked list of packet descriptors. Queue manager logic receives push and pop requests from host applications, and updates the linking memory to maintain the queue. The queue manager logic also maintains a queue control register for each queue, including head and tail descriptor index values.

Abstract: A network element including a processor with logic for managing packet queues by way of packet descriptor index values that are mapped to addresses in the memory space of the packet descriptors. A linking memory is implemented in the same integrated circuit as the processor, and has entries corresponding to the descriptor index values. Each entry can store the next descriptor index in a packet queue, to form a linked list of packet descriptors. Queue manager logic receives push and pop requests from host applications, and updates the linking memory to maintain the queue. The queue manager logic also maintains a queue control register for each queue, including head and tail descriptor index values.

Abstract: A network element including a processor with logic for managing packet queues including a queue of free packet descriptors. Upon the transmission of a packet by a host application, the packet descriptor for the transmitted packet is added to the free packet descriptor queue. If the new free packet descriptor resides in on-chip memory, relative to queue manager logic, it is added to the head of the free packet descriptor queue; if the new free packet descriptor resides in external memory, it is added to the tail of the free packet descriptor queue. Upon a packet descriptor being requested, by a host application, to be associated with valid data to be added to an active packet queue, the queue manager logic pops the packet descriptor currently at the head of the free descriptor queue. In this manner, packet descriptors in on-chip memory are preferentially used relative to packet descriptors in external memory, thus improving system performance.

Abstract: A state machine interface that can be used with digital devices whose interface characteristics are not known in advance. This interface is completely programmable on a clock-by-clock basis. The interface consists of an output component, which can be either a control register or a data bus, and an input component that can be combined to provide various input/output (I/O) functions. The state machine interface of this invention makes it possible to interface with many type of application devices, whose interface characteristics and/or waveforms may not be identical or are not known at the time a particular state machine is designed.

Abstract: A state machine interface that can be used with digital devices whose interface characteristics are not known in advance. This interface is completely programmable on a clock-by-clock basis. The interface consists of an output component, which can be either a control register or a data bus, and an input component that can be combined to provide various input/output (I/O) functions. The state machine interface of this invention makes it possible to interface with many type of application devices, whose interface characteristics and/or waveforms may not be identical or are not known at the time a particular state machine is designed.

Abstract: A packed data structure processor (25) is disclosed. The packed data structure processor (25) includes a register file (24) of multiple registers (REG0 through REG31), each of which is connected to an input of each of a plurality of operand multiplexers (26). Each operand multiplexer (26) is associated with a shift/mask circuit (28), which permits the selection of a particular portion (e.g., BYIE, WORD, DWORD) of the contents of a selected register file, for use as an operand. An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) (30) performs data processing operations upon the operands, and presents results on writeback bus (WBBUS), to external memory (18) over a memory interface (37), or to a register file (42) associated with other circuitry (44) over a coprocessor interface (41). A destination selector (40) is capable of writing to only a selected portion of a selected register, thus permitting a packed data structure to be present within the register file (24).

Abstract: A network hub and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) translator system (5) for use in a Local Area Network (LAN)-based communications system is disclosed. The network hub and ATM translator system (5) includes a host controller (10) that serves as the LAN hub, and which interfaces with a translator card (15) which includes a segmentation and reassembly device (12) in connection with SONET receive/transmit circuitry (20) that communicates with a transceiver (22) to transmit and receive ATM packet cells over a communications facility (FO). The translator card (15) also includes a scheduler (14) that includes a heap sort state machine (36) which maintains a sorted list of entries, in a heap fashion, in on-chip parameter memory (44) and off-chip parameter memory (18). The entries include, for each ATM channel, a channel identifier and a timestamp that indicates the time at which the next cell for the channel will be due for transmission. A due comparator (40) compares the timestamp of the root value in the heap (i.

Abstract: A network hub and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) translator system (5) for use in a Local Area Network (LAN)-based communications system is disclosed. The network hub and ATM translator system (5) includes a host controller (10) that serves as the LAN hub, and which interfaces with a translator card (15) which includes a segmentation and reassembly device (12) in connection with SONET receive/transmit circuitry (20) that communicates with a transceiver (22) to transmit and receive ATM packet cells over a communications facility (FO). The translator card (15) also includes a scheduler (14) that includes a heap sort state machine (36) which maintains a sorted list of entries, in a heap fashion, in on-chip parameter memory (44) and off-chip parameter memory (18). The entries include, for each ATM channel, a channel identifier and a timestamp that indicates the time at which the next cell for the channel will be due for transmission. A due comparator (40) compares the timestamp of the root value in the heap (i.