Patent ID: 7660931

Claim:
A network device comprising: a system chip to provide network and non-network interfaces for the network device, in which the system chip includes: (a) one or more processors coupled to an internal bus of the system chip; (b) a cache memory coupled to the bus to cache data for the system chip; (c) a plurality of interface circuits to transfer packet and non-packet data, wherein each interface circuit is to operate upon a particular mode of communication to transfer respective packet or non-packet data, in which one or more external devices are to be coupled to respective one of the interface circuits based on respective mode of communication for transfer of respective data, wherein the network and non-network interfaces of the network device are provided by the plurality of interface circuits; and (d) a bridge circuit coupled to the plurality of interface circuits and to the bus to transfer data between the interface circuits and the bus, the bridge circuit to maintain cache coherency for data cached in the cache memory for devices operable within the system chip, but cache coherency is not maintained by the bridge circuit for data cached in the cache memory by one or more external devices coupled to the interface circuits, wherein the one or more processors, cache memory, plurality of interface circuits and bridge circuit of the system chip are constructed on one integrated circuit chip as an integrated system on a chip; and at least one other integrated circuit chip coupled to the system chip to provide additional functionality for the network device in addition to the system chip.