Abstract: A network transmitter (driver or adaptor/driver combination) reorders packets received for transmission from a higher layer protocol based on packet destinations. The invention reduces bottlenecks at the transmitter and potentially throughout network intermediate system. Destination based reordering may be accomplished through alternative methods, some alternatives taking into account the order at which packets to different destinations are queued by a higher layer protocol.

Abstract: An intermediate system authenticates using cryptography. The authentication routine requires a user to supply a secret known only to the user before allowing data to be transmitted. The secret is never transmitted. The invention may be incorporated into an intermediate system, into intermediate system software, or into application specific integrated circuits designed for use in an intermediate system. The invention may include components that interact specifically with installed components in an end system or elsewhere in a network.

Abstract: A network adaptor that generates interrupts to a host system when data is received from the network or downloaded from system memory for transmittal over the network. The adaptor generates interrupts after a delay determined by an interrupt deferral mechanism, which includes one or more timers and/or one or more counters. Interrupts are generated, for example, after a predetermined time has elapsed after a DMA completion or after a certain number of packets are counted.

Abstract: An improved computer network and network device uses characteristics of prior art shared network protocols to control the flow of data and access to the network among a group of transmitting nodes. The invention determines which nodes wish to send data when a collision occurs by detecting and recording which nodes participated in a collision. A scheduling routine is designed to give each connected node a chance to send. A transmission control mechanism is used to prevent a subset of transmitters from transmitting while allowing one ES to transmit without experiencing a collision. The invention has a number of applications including within an improved ethernet repeater in a multimedia ethernet.

Abstract: A network intermediate system authenticates end systems attached to ports of the intermediate system. An authentication routine is called on a port each time an intermediate system detects any interruption in the physical connection with the port, including reboot of the end system connected to the port. Network data is not fully transmitted or received to any port that has not been authenticated. The invention distributes a user authentication to the point where an end system initially connects to a network, to prevent an authorized reception or transmission of network data that is not prevented under existing network login systems. The invention may be incorporated into an intermediate system, into intermediate system software, or into applications specific integrated circuits designed for use in an intermediate system. The invention may include components that interact specifically with installed components in an end system or elsewhere in a network.

Abstract: A system provides for establishing security in a network that include nodes having security functions operating in multiple protocol layers. Multiple network devices, such as remote access equipment, routers, switches, repeaters and network cards having security functions are configured to contribute to implementation of distributed firewall functions in the network. By distributing firewall functionality throughout many layers of the network in a variety of network devices, a pervasive firewall is implemented. The pervasive, multilayer firewall includes a policy definition component that accepts policy data that defines how the firewall should behave. The policy definition component can be a centralized component, or a component that is distributed over the network. The multilayer firewall also includes a collection of network devices that are used to enforce the defined policy.

Abstract: A network transmitter (driver or adaptor/driver combination reorders packets received for transmission from a higher layer protocol based on packet destinations. The invention reduces bottlenecks at the transmitter and potentially throughout network intermediate system. Destination based reordering may be accomplished through alternative methods, some alternatives taking into account the order at which packets to different destinations are queued by a higher layer protocol.

Abstract: A network transmitter schedules packets so that packets are transmitted to a host or group of hosts so as not to overload any particular part of the network. In an embodiment, the transmitter uses packet data structures with a schedule indication for packets placed in the queue so that an independently running adaptor may know when to remove packets from the queue and transmit them. In an alternative embodiment, packets are scheduled by setting a future interrupt for transmitting a packet or group of packets. In a further embodiment, packets are placed in temporal sets where a temporal set is a group of packets that can be transmitted in succession without violating the bandwidth limitations of any network segment.

Abstract: Binary data is transmitted to a network physical layer from a media access controller as a series of multibit nibbles and is encoded into a multi-level data stream and split among a number of transmission channels, thereby reducing the signal frequency necessary to carry the data on each one of the transmission channels. The multi-level signal is then translated at a receiver back into a binary data stream. In a specific embodiment, the symbol transmission frequency on each of the transmission channels is at the same frequency as the nibble transfer rate between the media access controller and the physical layer.