Patent ID: 8631110

Claim:
A network interface card, comprising: a packet buffer; and logic configured to offload validation, to the network interface card from a host device that is coupled to the network interface card, of a packet received at the network interface card, the packet having header information associated with a layered protocol, the layered protocol having a plurality of protocol layers, each protocol layer having a protocol associated therewith, wherein the offloaded validation of the packet includes: determination that header information associated with a first layer of the plurality of protocol layers complies with at least one requirement of a first protocol associated with the first layer and that other header information associated with a second layer of the plurality of protocol layers complies with at least one requirement of a second protocol associated with the second layer; determination that the packet is aligned within the packet buffer; and generation of a combined value indicating that the packet was determined to comply with the at least one requirement of the first protocol, was determined to comply with the at least one requirement of the second protocol, and was determined to be aligned within the packet buffer, wherein: the network interface card is configured to enable transfer of the packet and the computed combined value to the host device.