Patent ID: 7171494

Claim:
A file interface arrangement for providing remote file access to a data processing system via a network, the data processing system including a first processor arrangement coupled to a system input/output bus, and a network interface card that is a first card coupled to the system input/output bus, wherein the first processor arrangement of the data processing system executes an operating system and a network file system (NFS) client application, the file interface arrangement comprising: a file interface card that is a second card; a bus-interface circuit disposed on the file interface card and arranged to interface with the system input/output bus; a second processor arrangement disposed on the file interface card and coupled to the bus-interface circuit; a memory disposed on the file interface card and coupled to the second processor arrangement, the memory configured with program code that is executable by the second processor arrangement and that implements a standard NFS client protocol, at least one non-standard extension to the NFS client protocol, and a network protocol stack; an interceptor module executing on the first processor arrangement and coupled to the operating system and to the system bus, the interceptor module configured and arranged to intercept NFS-client remote procedure calls from the NES client application and send NES-client remote procedure calls to the second processor arrangement via the system bus and send remote procedure calls that are not NFS calls to the network interface card; and a network-interface circuit arrangement disposed on the file interface card and coupled to the second processor arrangement and arranged to send data received from the second processor arrangement over the network and receive data via the network.