Patent ID: 6065087
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: G06F,H04B,H04L

Abstract:
A method for interconnecting a first communications medium, supporting a first transmission protocol that provides transmission of data transfer commands and data, with a second communications medium supporting a second transmission protocol that provides transmission of input/output commands and data, the method including:providing a multiplexing hardware device having a local processor connected to a local memory by a local bus, the local bus connected to a first communications adapter that sends data and commands to, and that receives data and commands from, the first communications medium, and to a second communications adapter that sends data and commands to, and that receives data and commands from, the second communications medium, the local bus connected to a shared memory, the first communications adapter, and the second communications adapter by a bus bridge and an internal data bus, the internal bus, the local bus, and a combination of the internal bus, the local bus, and the bus bridge providing reading and writing operations that result in exchanges of data between the local memory, the shared memory, and the communications adapters;receiving a data transfer command, directed to the second communications adapter, from the first communications medium by the first communications adapter;writing the received data transfer command via the internal bus, the bus bridge, and the local bus to the local memory;processing the data transfer command by the local processor and sending an input/output command corresponding to the received data transfer command to the second communications adapter via the local bus, the bus bridge, and the internal bus; andexecuting an input/output operation corresponding to the received input/output command and exchanging data related to execution of the input/output operation with the first communications adapter, via the internal bus and shared memory, by the second communications adapter.