Method and apparatus to efficiently reuse virtual connections by means of chaser packets

Abstract

A host system and an ATM network adapter using a chaser packet are presented. The adapter receives cells over a virtual connection on the network and generates, in response to the host system, a chaser packet which allows the host to detect that all data has been transferred form the adapter buffers to host memory. When all data has been transferred, the host may release the virtual connection without data loss. The host and adapter may also transmit data. In data transmission, the chaser packet is used to determine that all data has been transmitted out onto the network before the sending host releases the virtual connection. The chaser packet is also used for resynchronization of credits where the ATM network uses credit-based flow control. The adapter uses the chaser packet to drain the local queue so that the link between the adapter and a source system may be resynchronized.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.