Patent ID: 8447803

Claim:
A method of distributing network traffic processing among a plurality of processors in a multiprocessor computer, comprising: receiving a first packet at a network interface that is a part of a multiprocessor computer; retrieving from said first packet an identifier of a source of said first packet; retrieving from said first packet an identifier of a destination of said first packet, wherein said destination is disposed in said multiprocessor computer; combining said source identifier and said destination identifier to form a first flow index for identifying a first communication flow comprising said first packet; storing a control block holding the state of said first communication flow; generating from said first flow index an identifier of a first processor of a plurality of processors of said multiprocessor computer; associating said first processor identifier with said first packet; submitting said first packet for processing by said first processor; and transferring control of said control block from said first processor to a second processor of said plurality of processors.