Patent ID: 7337240

Claim:
A method for operating a network coupling adapter attaching one or more computing device via an associated interconnected memory to either one of an I/O periphery, a network, or other computing devices, characterized by the steps of: operating a local memory on the network coupling adapter for storing transmission control information; operating a system memory of the one or more computing device for storing a plurality of entries, an entry of the plurality of entries comprising work related information for a queue or a queue pair and information other than transmission control information, such that the entry stored in the system memory is associated with the transmission control information stored in the local memory, wherein the transmission control information stored in the local memory is received from the entry in the system memory and is used for processing the queue or the queue pair of the entry in the system memory; and wherein said step of operating a local memory comprises: determining if there is room in the local memory for storing the transmission control information and a new transmission control block; if there is not sufficient room in the local memory for storing the transmission control information and the new transmission control block, moving the transmission control information stored in the local memory to the entry of the system memory and maintaining the association with the entry previously stored in the system memory, and storing the new transmission control block in the local memory; and if there is sufficient room in the local memory for storing the transmission control information, storing the transmission control information and the new transmission control block in the local memory.