Patent ID: 7149218

Claim:
A method to forward network data in a data processing system, comprising: (a) receiving network data into the data processing system, the data processing system comprising a plurality of processing elements, a local SRAM memory, and a cache connected to the local SRAM memory and the plurality of processing elements; (b) separating the network data into transient portions which are short-lived, and will be modified by one of the plurality of processing elements but whose modifications will not be needed by the data processing system and into portions which will not be modified; (c) storing both portions of the network packet in the local SRAM memory; (d) forwarding the transient portions of the network data to the cache connected to and associated with the plurality of processing elements, one of the plurality of processing elements requesting the transient portion of the data; (e) determining a next destination data processing system of the network data; (f) transferring the portion of the network data that are not modified to a next SRAM memory of the next destination data processing system; (g) modifying the transient portions within the requesting processing element; (h) writing back the transient portion of the network data to the next SRAM memory of the next destination data processing system independently of transferring the nonmodifiable portion of the network data, and bypassing the local SRAM memory.