Patent ID: 7000098

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a packet by a processor that includes a plurality of processing engines programmed to process a network packet received via a network interface with a pipeline of packet processing stages provided by different ones of the processing engines; transmitting the generated packet to at least a first one of the processing engines providing at least one stage of the pipeline of packet processing stages; and in response, at least in part to receipt of the generated packet by the first one of the processing engines, modifying at least in part, by the first one of the processing engines, a first set of program instructions, the first set of programming instructions providing a stage of the pipeline of packet processing stages, the first one of the processincj engines to execute the first set of program instructions after the modifying of the first set of program instructions; transmitting the generated packet from the first one of the processing engines to a second one of the processing engines providing a next one of the stages of the pipeline of packet processing stages; and in response, at least in part to receipt of the generated packet by the second one of the processing engines providing the next one of the stages of the pipeline of packet processing stages, modifying at least in part, by the second one of the processing engines, a second set of program instructions, the second set of Drogramming instructions providing a stage of the pipeline of packet processing stages, the second one of the processing engines to execute the second set of program instructions after the modifying of the second set of program instructions.