Flow control using output port buffer allocation
US6252849A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 26, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L49/50
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system for implementing flow control in an information network such as a local area network (LAN) utilizing a Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) as specified by the IEEE standard 802.03. The information network transmits computer information such as computer data between various computer systems coupled to the information network. The information network includes information network switches capable of routing information packets received via its input ports to its output ports. The received packets are held in buffers of the output ports before being transmitted via the output ports. A portion of each output port buffer is allocated to each input port. The information network switch provides a control packet such as a PAUSE frame to an upstream source operably coupled to the input port in response to the level occupancy of the portion of the buffer allocated to the input port exceeding a first level. The PAUSE frame inhibits the upstream source from transmitting information packets to the input port. In one system, each up stream source has the capability of ignoring the control packet when the level of occupancy of an output buffer of the upstream …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.