Steven Craig Holmes

US Patent:

7111102, Sep 19, 2006

Filed:

Oct 6, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/680842

Inventors:

David Doak - Wake Forest NC, US
Garry P. Epps - Sunnyvale CA, US
Guy Fedorkow - Bedford MA, US
Mark A. Gustlin - Campbell CA, US
Steven P. Holmes - Wake Forest NC, US
Randall A. Johnson - Raleigh NC, US
Promode Nedungadi - Santa Clara CA, US
John P. Prokopik - Auburn NH, US
Mohammed I. Tatar - Ottawa, CA
Michael J. Taylor - Pepperell MA, US

Assignee:

Cisco Technology, Inc. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G06F 13/14
H04L 9/00

US Classification:

710305, 710104, 370912

Abstract:

A port adapter for connecting zero or more network interfaces to a host system having a SPI-4 bus is disclosed. The port adapter comprises zero or more network interfaces; a SPI-4 bus coupled to a host system to provide a communication channel between the host and the network interfaces; a control bus coupled to the host system for controlling and monitoring the port adapter; and interface logic that interfaces the SPI-4 bus and the control bus to the network interfaces. Methods are provided for selecting and using one of a small plurality of different packet formats for various networking technologies, so that the port adapter can hide details of the technology that it handles from the host system, and for operating the host system's SPI-4 bus at one of several speeds based on bandwidth requirements of the port adapter.

US Patent:

7433988, Oct 7, 2008

Filed:

Jun 12, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/818006

Inventors:

David Doak - Wake Forest NC, US
Garry P. Epps - Sunnyvale CA, US
Guy Fedorkow - Bedford MA, US
Mark A. Gustlin - Campbell CA, US
Steven P. Holmes - Wake Forest NC, US
Randall A. Johnson - Raleigh NC, US
Promode Nedungadi - Santa Clara CA, US
Mohammed I. Tatar - Ottawa, CA

Assignee:

Cisco Technology, Inc. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

G06F 13/14
H04B 7/00
H04L 12/66

US Classification:

710305, 710 52, 710250, 710100, 710104, 370318, 370353, 370354, 370356

Abstract:

A port adapter for connecting zero or more network interfaces to a host system having a SPI-4 bus is disclosed. The port adapter comprises zero or more network interfaces; a SPI-4 bus coupled to a host system to provide a communication channel between the host and the network interfaces; a control bus coupled to the host system for controlling and monitoring the port adapter; and interface logic that interfaces the SPI-4 bus and the control bus to the network interfaces. Methods are provided for selecting and using one of a small plurality of different packet formats for various networking technologies, so that the port adapter can hide details of the technology that it handles from the host system, and for operating the host system's SPI-4 bus at one of several speeds based on bandwidth requirements of the port adapter.

US Patent:

8199648, Jun 12, 2012

Filed:

Jul 3, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/773351

Inventors:

Steven P. Holmes - Wake Forest NC, US
Paramananda Ponnaiyan - Bangalore, IN
Leonardo Amatori - Cary NC, US

Assignee:

Cisco Technology, Inc. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

H04L 12/28

US Classification:

370231, 370235

Abstract:

A device and method for packet flow control is described. The method may comprise, at a packet sender device, adding a flow control identifier to a packet and transmitting a packet with the packet flow control identifier to a packet receiver device over a data path. Thereafter, the packet receiver device may receive, from the packet receiver device, flow control data that includes a received flow control identifier generated in response to the sent flow control identifier. The sent flow control identifier may then be compared with the received flow control identifier and a state of a receiver buffer at the receiver packet device may be estimated based on the comparison. In an example embodiment, at the packet sender device, a flow control instruction may be added to the packet to instruct the packet receiver device to enter a “no transmit” state.

US Patent:

20060277346, Dec 7, 2006

Filed:

Aug 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/502965

Inventors:

David Doak - Wake Forest NC, US
Garry Epps - Sunnyvale CA, US
Guy Fedorkow - Bedford MA, US
Mark Gustlin - Campbell CA, US
Steven Holmes - Wake Forest NC, US
Randall Johnson - Raleigh NC, US
Promode Nedungadi - Santa Clara CA, US
John Prokopik - Auburn NH, US
Mohammed Tatar - Ottawa, CA
Michael Taylor - Pepperell MA, US

International Classification:

G06F 13/14

US Classification:

710305000

Abstract:

A port adapter for connecting zero or more network interfaces to a host system having a SPI-4 bus is disclosed. The port adapter comprises zero or more network interfaces; a SPI-4 bus coupled to a host system to provide a communication channel between the host and the network interfaces; a control bus coupled to the host system for controlling and monitoring the port adapter; and interface logic that interfaces the SPI-4 bus and the control bus to the network interfaces. Methods are provided for selecting and using one of a small plurality of different packet formats for various networking technologies, so that the port adapter can hide details of the technology that it handles from the host system, and for operating the host system's SPI-4 bus at one of several speeds based on bandwidth requirements of the port adapter.

US Patent:

20140112342, Apr 24, 2014

Filed:

Oct 24, 2012

Appl. No.:

13/658960

Inventors:

John W. Marshall - Cary NC, US
Steven Philip Holmes - Wake Forest NC, US
Jeffrey Nelson Shaw - Stow MA, US
Michael E. Lipman - Harvard MA, US
Matthew Harper - Salem NH, US
Mohammed Ismael Tatar - Kanata, CA
James A. Markevitch - Palo Alto CA, US

International Classification:

H04L 12/56

US Classification:

370392

Abstract:

In one embodiment, an apparatus cascades groups of serialized data streams through devices, and performs operations based on information communicated therein. A received group of serialized data streams is aligned, but not framed, and forwarded to a next device (e.g., a next stage in a linear or tree cascaded formation of devices). Eliminating the framing and subsequent serialization operations performed on the received group of serialized data streams reduces the latency of communications through the cascaded devices, which can be significant when considered in relation to the high-speed communication rates. The received group of serialized data streams is also framed to create a sequence of data frames for processing (e.g., associative memory lookup operations, controlling multiplexing of received downstream serialized data streams, general or other processing) within the device.