Advanced switching lost packet and event detection and handling

An article of machine-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

• send a packet from an endpoint in an advanced switching fabric and start a timer to run until receiving a response packet or receiving an event packet notifying of a device failure;
• save a copy of the sent packet;
• detect if the timer has expired,
• retransmit the packet after the timer has expired and resetting the timer;
• and
• perform a faulty device detection if the packet has been retransmitted a predetermined number of times

An apparatus comprising:

• a retransmit buffer;
• and
• an endpoint coupled to the retransmit buffer, the endpoint to:
• send a packet to an advanced switching fabric;
• save a copy of the packet in the retransmit buffer;
• detect if a timer expired since the packet was sent if no packet is received in response to the transmitted packet;
• retransmit the packet after the timer has expired and no packet was received in response to the transmitted packet;
• and
• perform a faulty device detection if the packet has been retransmitted a predetermined number of times.

A system comprising:

• a retransmit buffer;
• an endpoint coupled to the retransmit buffer, the endpoint to:
• send a packet to an Advanced Switching fabric;
• save a copy of the packet in the retransmit buffer;
• detect if a timer expired since the packet was sent if no packet is received in response to the transmitted packet;
• retransmit the packet after the timer has expired and no packet was received in response to the transmitted packet;
• and
• perform a faulty device detection if the packet has been retransmitted a predetermined number of times;
• and
• a fabric manager in an advanced switching fabric, the fabric manager to conduct limited device discovery in response to a failure.