Enhanced flow control in ATM edge switches

A method where a pause interval flow control is adapted to rate-based flow control within an edge switch serving as an egress from a source subnetwork and an ingress into a backbone subnetwork, said method comprising:

• designating a repeating unit time interval over which data is transmitted from said source subnetwork to said backbone subnetwork;
• assigning a target flow rate to a session within said edge switch, said session having a source node within said source subnetwork;
• mapping said target flow rate into a pause interval;
• and
• during each of said unit time intervals, pausing the source of said session for a duration equal to said pause interval, such that the source transmits at the target rate.

A flow control system within a telecommunications network, said system comprising:

• processing means for monitoring an input flow rate from a source node of each of a plurality of sessions that share a common data link;
• processing means for assigning a target flow rate to each of said sessions, wherein the sum of said target flow rates is equal to the available bandwidth of said common data link;
• processing means for detecting a condition wherein monitored input flow rates exceed assigned target flow rates;
• and
• processing means, responsive to the condition in which at least one of said monitored input flow rate exceeds said assigned target flow rate, for dynamically pausing said source node, during each repeating unit time interval, such that for each of said sessions said monitored input flow rate conforms to said assigned target flow rate.

A program product executed by a computer system including a media on which at least one computer program is recorded, said computer program including:

• code instructions monitoring an input flow rate from a source node of each of a plurality of sessions coupled into a common data link;
• code instructions assigning a target f low rate to each of said sessions, wherein the sum of said target flow rates is equal to the available bandwidth of said common data link;
• code instructions comparing monitored input flow rate of each said sessions with assigned target flow rate;
• and
• for each of said sessions in which said monitored input flow rate exceeds said assigned target flow rate, code instructions dynamically pausing said source node such that for each of said sessions said monitored input flow rate conforms to said assigned target flow rate.

A method within a communication network for allocating available bandwidth comprising acts of:

• monitoring an input flow rate from a source node of each of a plurality of sessions coupled to a common data link;
• assigning a target flow rate to each of said sessions, wherein the sum of said target flow rates is equal to the available bandwidth of said common data link;
• comparing monitored input flow rate of each said sessions with assigned target flow rate;
• and
• for each of said sessions in which said monitored input flow rate exceeds said assigned target flow rate, dynamically pausing said source node such that for each of said sessions said monitored input flow rate conforms to said assigned target flow rate.