IndexIndex
4 Basic Concepts
The concepts described in this chapter are the starting-point for what an
operator sees, and needs to understand.
4.1 Physical View
The most important concepts are the following:
Ethernet port is the physical interface between an external physical
Ethernet link and the network processor.
Host port is the physical interface between the network processor and the
host processor.
Network processor handles receiving of incoming packets from and
sending of out-going packets to the Ethernet links. It handles most
switching decisions independently of the host processor.
Host processor (also called control processor) controls the Network
Processor. This includes assistance in program loading and restart,
executing of control commands and reception of counters. In exceptional
cases the host processor may be involved in switching decisions for
individual packets.
Figure 3 on page 9 illustrates the basic physical view of the EFN234, showing
the listed items.
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