Patent ID: 7013394

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a computer system having a central processing unit, memory elements operatively coupled to said central processing unit, and an option bus operatively coupled to said central processing unit and said memory elements; and a network processor option card operatively connected to said computer system through said option bus, said option card having mounted thereon: a plurality of interface processors; instruction memory storing instructions accessibly to said interface processors; data memory storing data passing through said option card from said memory elements and accessibly to said interface processors; and a plurality of input/output ports; one of said input/output ports exchanging data passing through said option card with an external network under the direction of said interface processors; said option card cooperating with said computer system in directing the exchange of data between said data exchange input/output ports and the flow of data through said data memory to and from said memory elements in response to execution by said interface processors of instructions loaded into said instruction memory and providing pattern recognition services for the flow of data.