A novel network architecture that integrates the functions of an internet
protocol (IP) router into a network processing unit (NPU) that resides in
a host computer's chipset such that the host computer's resources are
perceived as separate network appliances. In one embodiment, file
handling functions are now integrated into a storage processing unit
(SPU) that can also be deployed on the same chipset, where the SPU serves
as an overall file and disk management processor.
