Patent ID: 7624263

Claim:
A network interface system comprising: a host computer comprising a host system memory and a host bus, wherein the host system memory comprises a security association database configured to store “n” security associations therein; and a network interface device comprising: a bus interface system that sends and receives frames to the host bus of the host computer; a media access control that sends and receives frames to a network; a memory system that stores data frames received by the media access control system frames received by the bus interfaces system from the host and further comprising a network interface security association memory configured to store a copy of “m” of the “n” security associations, wherein m<n, and m≧2; and a security system that selectively decrypts individual received frames according to receive security associations, selectively encrypts individual transmit frames according to transmit security associations, and includes a lookup component that first looks to the network interface security association memory for desired security associations and obtains said security associations therefrom if present, and if not present obtains the receive and transmit security associations from the security association database associated with the host system memory.