APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING CRYPTOGRAPHIC SUPPORT IN A NETWORK

摘要

A host interface comprising a reassembler (30) for reassembling and decrypting data that has been encrypted in accordance with a pre-defined key and segmented into a plurality of asynchronous transfer mode cells. Each cell comprises a virtual channel identifier, and a cell body. The reassembler (30) comprises a cell manager (32) for separating each cell body, a linked list manager (36) for managing and storing linked list data indicative of addresses at which the cells bodies are to be stored, a lookup controller (34) for writing the virtual channel identifiers for the cells to a content addressable memory to be managed and stored, a reassembly buffer (38) for storing the cells bodies, and a decryption device (42) for decrypting the data and writing the decrypted data to the reassembly buffer (38).