Patent ID: 7502474
Filing Date: 2009-03-10
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A network interface system for interfacing a host system with a network to provide outgoing data from the host system to the network and to provide incoming data from the network to the host system, the network interface system comprising: a bus interface system adapted to couple with a host bus in the host system and transfer data between the network interface system and the host system; a media access control system adapted to couple with the network and to transfer data between the network interface system and the network; a memory system coupled with the media access control system and the bus interface system, the memory system being adapted to store data frames received by the media access control system from the network and frames received by the bus interface system from the host; and a security system coupled to the memory system and adapted to selectively decrypt individual data frames according to security associations stored in a memory external to the network interface system; wherein the security associations correspond with the data frames and each security association is obtained by the network interface system from the external memory after beginning to receive but before fully receiving the corresponding data frame.