A firmware socket module is deployed on a reconfigurable logic device, wherein the firmware socket module has a communication path between itself and an entry point into a data processing pipeline, wherein the firmware socket module is configured to provide both commands and target data to the entry point in the data processing pipeline via the same communication path, wherein each command defines a data processing operation that is to be performed by the data processing pipeline, and wherein the target data corresponds to the data upon which the data processing pipeline performs its commanded data processing operation. Preferably, the firmware socket module is configured to provide the commands and target data in a predetermined order that is maintained throughout the data processing pipeline. Also, the firmware socket module may be configured to (1) access an external input descriptor pool buffer that defines the order in which commands and target data are to be provided to the data processing pipeline, and (2) transfer the commands and target data from an external memory to the data processing pipeline in accordance with the identified defined order. Results of the processing by the data processing pipeline are also returned to external memory by the firmware socket module, whereupon those results can be subsequently used by software executing on a computer system.