A system and method of data flow management, particularly in a multiple
network processor architecture where a plurality of independent processing
units are simultaneously processing information from different frames of
input information. The present invention includes first-in-first-out files
identifying the individual frames and correlating the frames with the
processor to which the frames have been assigned for processing as well as
a first-in-first-out file of processed frames for each processor to allow
the frames to be processed independently, then reassembled into the same
order as the frames had been received without communication between the
independent processors. Additionally, the present system supports
newly-created frames as well as the concept of flushing the system without
regard to frame order whereby frames are sent out to the network as the
processing is completed without regard to input order, overriding the
system of putting the output frames in the same order as the input frames
were received from the network.