Patent ID: 8855137
Filing Date: 2014-10-07
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A network interface device capable of communication with a data processing device supporting an operating system and at least one application, the network interface device supporting communication with the operating system by means of: a first driver configured to transfer data between the network interface device and the data processing device via a bus of the data processing device; a second driver configured to transfer data between the network interface device and the data processing device via the bus of the data processing device, wherein the first driver and the second driver are independently addressable by the network interface device; two or more data channels, each data channel being individually addressable by the network interface device and being capable of carrying application-level data between the network interface device and the data processing device, such that one channel of the two or more data channels is dedicated exclusively for use by only the first driver to transfer data between the network interface device and the data processing device thereby establishing the one channel as an entire path between the network interface device and the data processing device; and a control channel individually addressable by the network interface device and used by the second driver to transfer control data between the data processing system and the network interface device, the control data defining commands and the network interface device being responsive to at least one command sent over the control channel to establish at least one additional individually addressable data channel.