Patent ID: 7239642

Claim:
A multi-protocol network interface card, comprising: a protocol specific logic circuit adapted to receive a plurality of instruction messages over an instruction data path and to receive and transmit a plurality of data packets in a plurality of data transfer formats over a data path; a first protocol controller coupled to the protocol specific logic circuit; and a second protocol controller coupled to the protocol specific logic circuit, wherein the protocol specific logic circuit is operable to process the plurality of data packets in the plurality of data transfer formats by defining at least a first predetermined data packet of the plurality of data packets in a first data transfer format of the plurality of data transfer formats and by communicating the first predetermined data packet in the first data transfer format to the first protocol controller and by defining at least a second predetermined data packet of the plurality of data packets in a second data transfer format of the plurality of data transfer formats and by communicating the second predetermined data packet in the second data transfer format to the second protocol controller; a bridge control circuit coupled to the first protocol controller, the second protocol controller and the protocol specific logic circuit, wherein the bridge control circuit is adapted to receive a plurality of control signals from the protocol specific logic circuit to control the bridge control circuit to couple the first protocol controller to a host processor or to couple the second protocol controller to the host processor; and a receive memory coupled to the protocol specific logic circuit and being adapted to receive the plurality of data packets in the plurality of data transfer formats from the protocol specific logic circuit at a first data rate and to communicate the plurality of data packets in the plurality of data transfer formats back to the protocol specific logic circuit at a second data rate.