Patent ID: 7644289

Claim:
A cryptographic device comprising: a cryptographic module and a communications module coupled thereto; said cryptographic module comprising a user network interface, a host network processor coupled to said user network interface, and a cryptographic processor coupled to said host network processor; said communications module comprising a network communications interface coupled to said cryptographic processor; said host network processor generating cryptographic processor command packets for said cryptographic processor, each comprising an address portion for addressing the cryptographic processor and a data portion; each data portion including one of unencrypted data and command packets for said communications module; said host network processor also encapsulating the command packets for said communications module in the data portions of said cryptographic processor command packets; said cryptographic processor determining if a given cryptographic processor command packet includes the encapsulated command packet and based thereon stripping the address portion from the cryptographic processor command packet and passing the encapsulated communications module command packet to said communications module without performing cryptographic processing thereon; said cryptographic processor determining if another give cryptographic processor command packet includes the unencrypted data packet and encrypting the unencrypted data packet and passing the encrypted data packet to said communications module.