As more computer devices are networked, communication between the computer devices have become faster. Faster communication involve transmitting and receiving larger amounts of data signals between networked computer devices. Often, these data signals are divided into packets for communication onto a network by a data communication platform. The packets usually contain information relating to the handling and managing of the data signals. Handling and managing of the data signals may include information such as destination, origin, and other details of how to handle the data signals.
Standards have been developed and included in the packets to allow the data communication platform to handle and manage data signals in a predetermined manner. There are a great number of these standards, known as protocols. However, due to increasing complexity of networked computer devices, new protocols are continually being developed.
The protocols may be developed and implemented in software, thereby allowing the protocols to be less related to particular networked computer devices and more universal. Additionally, protocols developed and implemented in software allow for flexibility in developing and adding new protocols as needed by more complex networked computer devices.
The protocols may also be developed and implemented in hardware. For example, the protocols may be developed and implemented using application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Because ASICs are designed in hardware for a specific purpose, they do not need to retrieve and execute stored instructions. As a result, ASICs usually provide faster, but less flexible, data signal communication between networked computer devices as compared to protocols developed and implemented in software.
Even though protocols developed and implemented in ASICs provide faster data signal communication between networked computer devices as compared to protocols developed and implemented in software, the time required for manufacture and the inflexibility of ASICs lead some to utilize protocols developed and implemented in software for data communication between networked devices, which provides slower, but more flexible, data communication.