Abstract: A fax interface unit provides a novel way of sending and receiving a fax over a global computer network such as the internet. The fax interface unit is coupled to a legacy fax machine on one side and to both a local area network and the telephone network on the other side. When a first location transmits a fax document to a second location having an email address capable of receiving the fax document, the telephone network is bypassed and the transmitted fax document arrives as email at the second location, thereby reducing telephone cost and providing the second location with an archived document.

Abstract: A graphics request stream is transferred from a host processor to a graphics card via a host bus so that the stream traverses the host bus no more than once. To that end, the graphics card has a graphics card memory, and the host processor has a host memory configured in a first memory configuration. The graphics card memory may be configured in the first memory configuration, and the graphics request stream is received directly in a message from the host processor (via the host bus). Upon receipt by the graphics card, the graphics request stream is written to the graphics card memory.