Abstract: A network controller system including a plurality of network ports and a driver system that operates the network ports as a team. The team is operated to simulate a single logical device in one of several team modes, such as fault tolerance or load balancing modes, to enhance performance of communication of the computer in a network. The driver system periodically determines and updates the status of each of the network ports, where the status of each is based at least on whether at least one directed packet has been received and transferred to the driver system by a respective network port. If any one of the network ports has not received a directed packet within a predetermined time period, the driver system commands another network port to transmit a directed heartbeat packet to the network port that has not received a directed packet. The team may include a primary and one or more secondary ports.

Abstract: In a computer network having a plurality of nodes with one or more computer systems associated with a node a method for transmitting messages to and from a DOS application resident in a memory to and from the network. The messages to and from the DOS application are handled a virtual device driver resident in the memory which is monitoring the 5C interrupt. The virtual device driver converts an outgoing CCB1 message from the DOS application to a message in a CCB3 32-bit format and an incoming 32-bit CCB3 message to a CCB1 format. The virtual device driver transmits the CCB3 message to a physical device driver resident in system memory. The physical device converts messages between the CCB3 32-bit format and a CCB3 16-bit format. The physical device driver transmits and receives 16-bit CCB3 messages to and from a logical link control protocol driver resident in the memory.