Buffer to buffer credit flow control for computer network
AssigneeMaXXan Systems, Inc.
InventorsJohn E. Jenne, Mark Lyndon Oelke, Sompong Paul Olarig
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Abstract
A system and method for providing flow control for a computer network is disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, buffer-to-buffer credit flow control is implemented to limit the amount of data a port may send based on the number and size of the frames sent from that port.
Claims10
A method for providing buffer-to-buffer credit port-level flow control for a computer network in operative communication with a plurality of ingress and egress network processors, each having an egress port and an ingress port that is associated with a buffer-to-buffer credit value corresponding to the current number of frames the ingress port may send, a buffer value corresponding to the current total frame size the ingress port may send, and a pending buffer-to-buffer value corresponding to the pending buffer-to-buffer credits an egress port may issue the ingress port, and wherein a set of network processors is associated with a bridge, the method comprising the steps of:
- sending a frame from the ingress port to a destination egress port, if the ingress port has a sufficient buffer-to-buffer credit value and buffer value;
- decrementing the buffer-to-buffer credit value associated with the ingress port;
- decrementing the buffer value associated with the ingress port;
- determining whether to increment the buffer-to-buffer credit value associated with the ingress port;
- incrementing the pending credit value associated with the ingress port;
- and
- determining whether to send a credit message to the ingress port.
A system for providing buffer-to-buffer credit port-level flow control for a computer network in operative communication with a plurality of ingress and egress network processors, said system comprising:
- a plurality of ingress and egress network processors, each of said plurality of network processors having an egress port and an ingress port that is associated with a buffer-to-buffer credit value corresponding to the current number of frames the ingress port may send, a buffer value corresponding to the current total frame size the ingress port may send, and a pending buffer-to-buffer value corresponding to the pending buffer-to-buffer credits an egress port may issue the ingress port, and wherein a set of said plurality of network processors is associated with a bridge, wherein:
- a frame is sent from the ingress port to a destination egress port, if the ingress port has a sufficient buffer-to-buffer credit value and buffer value;
- the buffer-to-buffer credit value associated with the ingress port is decremented;
- the buffer value associated with the ingress port is decremented;
- the buffer-to-buffer credit value associated with the ingress port is determined whether to be increment;
- the pending credit value associated with the ingress port is incremented;
- and
- a credit message to the ingress port is determined whether to be sent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.