Patent · US Active

Scalable approach to large scale queuing through dynamic resource allocation

US8199764B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
9References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 25, 2003
Grant dateJun 12, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 17, 2027

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L49/90
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for the efficient allocation and deletion of virtual output queues. According to some implementations, incoming packets are classified according to a queue in which the packet (or classification information for the packet) will be stored, e.g., according to a “Q” value. For example, a Q value may be a Q number defined as {Egress port number∥Priority number∥Ingress port number}. Only a single physical queue is allocated for each classification. When a physical queue is empty, the physical queue is preferably de-allocated and added to a “free list” of available physical queues. Accordingly, the total number of allocated physical queues preferably does not exceed the total number of classified packets. Because the input buffering requirements of Fiber Channel (“FC”) and other protocols place limitations on the number of incoming packets, the dynamic allocation methods of the present invention result in a sparse allocation of physical queues.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.