Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a storage medium accessible across a network to a host. The storage medium's operation is generally controlled by a network disk controller. The network disk controller may receive a packet from a remote host, decapsulate the packet, and act on the packet to either transmit data from a storage medium or write data to a storage medium. Generally, the network disk controller does not execute any file system. Rather, the file system for communication between the host and controller is executed by the host. The performance of the network disk controller generally matches that of a local (i.e., non-network) disk controller in terms of data access and writing.

Abstract: An electronic device employing an efficient network protocol stack. The protocol stack comprises a network-level protocol layer configured to provide a transmission service for transferring data to and from a computer network, and a device-level protocol layer configured to send and receive information specific to an interface of the electronic device over the network via the transmission service of the network-level protocol layer. Alternately, each of the network-level protocol layer and the device-level protocol layer may be employed individually with other network protocol layers to construct a functioning network protocol stack.

Abstract: Network bridge circuit, logic, chip, and method that enables a host computer to access a storage device or a plurality of storage devices directly from the network. Hardware architecture includes protocol layer handler, DMA, storage device interface, command execution unit, and optional error handler. Bridge circuit logic implemented on a single chip in hard wired fashion without resorting to a programmable architecture. Generic command wrapper in which new commands added later time than the time of fabrication of the hardware chip can be executed without revising the hardware chip. Bridge apparatus enabling direct access by at least one host to a raw storage device over network, comprising: command execution unit, memory controller, network interface, device interface controller, and wherein bridge apparatus couples the raw storage device to network directly such that host accesses raw storage device as if local storage device even though only available over network.