Patent ID: 8024541

Claim:
A memory buffer (MBUF) architecture for use in accordance with a Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) networking implementation comprising: a first MBUF format including a control portion and a data portion, the control portion of the first MBUF format including a next MBUF pointer and a data pointer other than the next MBUF pointer, the first MBUF format for use where data is to be stored within the MBUF, the first MBUF format according to a BSD network implementation; and, a second MBUF format including a control portion and absent a data portion, the control portion according to a control portion of an MBUF according to a BSD networking implementation, the control portion of the second MBUF format including a next MBUF pointer and a data pointer other than the next MBUF pointer, the second MBUF format for use in indexing with use of the data pointer of the control portion of the second MBUF format, data within a cluster that is stored outside of the MBUF architecture, wherein the MBUF architecture comprises a linked list of the first and second MBUFs, linked with use of the next MBUF pointer of the control portion of the first MBUF format and with use of the next MBUF pointer of the control portion of the second MBUF format, and wherein the linked list comprises at least one MBUF of the second MBUF format, the at least one MBUF comprising a next MBUF pointer pointing to a second MBUF of the second format within the linked list.