The present invention comprises a technique for performing a reassembly assist function that enables a processor to perform packet reassembly in a deterministic manner. The technique employed by the present invention enables a processor to reassemble a packet without having to extend its normal processing time to reassemble a varying number of fragments into a packet. The invention takes advantage of the fact that the reassembly assist can be dedicated exclusively to reassembling a packet from a series of fragments and thereby offloading the reassembly process from the processor.

Three base station devices are connected to a base station control device in series. The payload of a cell storing data to be transmitted is partitioned into three areas, which are respectively allocated to the base station devices. The base station control device stores the data to be transmitted to corresponding base station devices in these three areas. Allocation pattern information indicating the allocation pattern of the payload is stored in the header of the cell. Upon receipt of the cell, the base station devices respectively extract the data addressed to the devices themselves based on the allocation pattern information stored in the header of the cell.

A method and system for processing a High level Data Link Control (HDLC) message despite the occurrence of a frame slip event in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) receiver avoiding re-transmission of an HDLC message when a frame slip event occurs during reception of an HDLC message. In one embodiment, an ATM receiver receives an ATM cell, where the ATM cell carries one or more T1 payloads. Each T1 payload contains a plurality of timeslots, including an HDLC timeslot. The HDLC timeslot is read for each T1 payload prior to unloading each T1 payload from the ATM cell. The plurality of timeslots within each T1 payload are sent to a switch matrix, where the timeslots are de-multiplexed. The HDLC message is carried in the HDLC timeslot over a plurality of ATM cells and the HDLC message is processed despite the occurrence of a frame slip event.

A method and an apparatus providing data communications among network devices using tagged and untagged frame formats. In one embodiment, a virtual local area network (VLAN) is implemented using frames that may be transferred among network devices in both tagged and untagged formats. In one embodiment, the frames are transferred among network switches in an untagged format, independent of whether the source devices sent the frames in a tagged or untagged format. In addition, destination devices may receive frames in either a tagged or an untagged format, independent of whether the source devices originally send the frames a tagged or untagged format. Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code information contained in the frames as originally sent is left unchanged when transferred among the switches of the VLAN, even though the frames may have been modified prior to transfer among switches. New CRC code information is generated for reformatted frames in the switches containing the outbound ports such that reformatted frames with valid CRC codes are forwarded to destination devices. In the event that a switch receives a corrupt frame from a source device, a corresponding corrupt reformatted frame is forwarded to the destination device from the switch.

An apparatus and method for communicating link status information for permanent virtual circuits that share a data link connection identifier. A first frame relay packet that includes link status information for a plurality of virtual circuits that each share a first data link connection identifier is received via a frame relay network. Using the link status information in the first frame relay packet, a second frame relay packet that conforms to a standard local management interface status message format is generated. The second frame relay packet is transmitted to customer premise equipment.