Method and apparatus for communicating congestion information among different protocol layers between networks

In a network device that interconnects data networks for communication of data therebetween, a method for communicating network congestion detected by a protocol operating in a first data network to a protocol operating in a second data network, comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving a data packet from the second data network;
• b) storing the data packet in a queue;
• and
• c) discarding the data packet from the queue, if the queue is full, or the protocol operating in the first data network detects a transition to a state of network congestion in the first data network, to communicate the transition to a state of network congestion in the first data network to the protocol operating in the second data network.

In a network device that interconnects data networks for communication of data therebetween, a method for communicating network congestion detected by a protocol operating in a first data network to a protocol operating in a second data network, comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving a data packet from the second data network;
• b) storing the data packet in a queue;
• and
• c) discarding the data packet from the queue, if a length for the queue is greater than a dynamic queue threshold associated with the queue.