Enhancement of utilization of encryption engine

1. A method of enhancing throughput of a multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine for an encryption/decryption process when used with an encryption/decryption mode of operation requiring feedback around the pipelined engine, the method comprising steps of:

aggregating together multiple security contexts and establishing an entry in a bank of initial variables for each context, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as a predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

receiving, for input to the multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine, a source datablock for a given encryption/decryption security context identifier;

indexing according to the encryption/decryption security context identifier into the bank of initial variables to retrieve an initial variable for the source datablock, the bank comprising a plurality of initial variables for each encryption/decryption security context identifier;

generating an output datablock from the source datablock and its corresponding initial variable;

replacing the initial variable in the bank of initial variables with a new seed, as determined by a selected mode of operation, for the security context identifier; and

wherein the mode of operation of the encryption/decryption process requires feedback around the encryption/decryption engine; and wherein the pipelined encryption/decryption engine is Cipher Block Chaining Mode with exception of handling of initial variables.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the encryption/decryption process comprises a block cipher capable of being pipelined and the encryption/decryption process is Digital Encryption Standard (DES).

3. A multi-stage pipelined encryption engine for an encryption/decryption process when used with an encryption/decryption mode of operation requiring feedback around the stages, the encryption/decryption engine comprising:

means for aggregating together multiple security contexts and establishing an entry in a bank of initial variables for each context, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as a predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

means for receiving, for input to the multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine, a source datablock for a given encryption/decryption security context identifier, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as the predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

means for indexing according to the encryption/decryption security context identifier into a bank of initial variables to retrieve an initial variable for the source datablock, the bank comprising a plurality of initial variables for each encryption/decryption security context identifier;

means for generating an output datablock from the source datablock and its corresponding initial variable;

means for replacing the initial variable in the bank of initial variables with a new seed, as determined by a selected mode of operation, for the security context identifier; and

wherein the mode of operation of the encryption/decryption process requires feedback around the encryption/decryption engine; and wherein the pipelined encryption/decryption engine is Cipher Block Chaining Mode with exception of handling of initial variables.

4. The encryption/decryption engine of claim 3 wherein the encryption/decryption process comprises a block cipher capable of being pipelined and the encryption/decryption process is Digital Encryption Standard (DES).

5. A method of enhancing throughput of a multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine for an encryption/decryption process when used with an encryption/decryption mode of operation requiring feedback around the pipelined engine, the method comprising steps of:

separating one data stream into multiple interleaved data streams, each having its own encryption/decryption security context;

aggregating together the multiple security contexts and establishing an entry in a bank of initial variables for each context, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as a predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

receiving, for input to the multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine, a source datablock for a given encryption/decryption security context identifier;

indexing according to the encryption/decryption security context identifier into the bank of initial variables to retrieve an initial variable for the source datablock, the bank comprising a plurality of initial variables for each encryption/decryption security context identifier;

generating an output datablock from the source datablock and its corresponding initial variable;

replacing the initial variable in the bank of initial variables with a new seed, as determined by a selected mode of operation, for the security context identifier; and

wherein the mode of operation of the encryption/decryption process requires feedback around the encryption/decryption engine; and wherein the pipelined encryption/decryption engine is Cipher Block Chaining Mode with exception of handling of initial variables.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the encryption/decryption process comprises a block cipher capable of being pipelined and the encryption/decryption process is Digital Encryption Standard (DES).

7. A multi-stage pipelined encryption engine for an encryption/decryption process when used with an encryption/decryption mode of operation requiring feedback around the stages, the encryption/decryption engine comprising:

means for separating one data stream into multiple interleaved data streams, each having its own encryption/decryption security context;

means for aggregating together the multiple security contexts and establishing an entry in a bank of initial variables for each context, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as a predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

means for receiving, for input to the multi-stage pipelined encryption/decryption engine, a source datablock for a given encryption/decryption security context identifier, there being at least as many encryption/decryption security context identifiers as the predetermined number of stages in the encryption/decryption process;

means for indexing according to the encryption/decryption security context identifier into a bank of initial variables to retrieve an initial variable for the source datablock, the bank comprising a plurality of initial variables for each encryption/decryption security context identifier;

means for generating an output datablock from the source datablock and its corresponding initial variable;

means for replacing the initial variable in the bank of initial variables with a new seed, as determined by a selected mode of operation, for the security context identifier; and

wherein the mode of operation of the encryption/decryption process requires feedback around the encryption/decryption engine; and wherein the pipelined encryption/decryption engine is Cipher Block Chaining Mode with exception of handling of initial variables.

8. The encryption/decryption engine of claim 7 wherein the encryption/decryption process comprises a block cipher capable of being pipeline and the encryption/decryption process is Digital Encryption Standard (DES).