US 7,072,302 B1 · Data cell traffic management

Abstract

A method for controlling data cell transmission in a network can be implemented at a network element through which data cells are transferred between source and destination nodes. The method includes receiving a control cell on a virtual channel from a source node, generating a management event upon receipt of the control cell, and processing the management event to compute resource management data. Upon the subsequent receipt of a control cell on a virtual channel from a destination node, the control cell from the destination node is modifying using the computed resource management data and transmitted over the first virtual channel toward the source node. In another aspect, a data transmission apparatus regulates the transmission of data and control cells. The apparatus includes source and destination port circuitry, switching circuitry, management event circuitry, and return cell circuitry. The port circuitry couples the apparatus to links over which source and destination virtual channels can be established. The switching circuitry interconnects port circuitry and can exchange data and control cells between source and destination virtual channels. The management event circuitry is coupled to the source port circuitry to receive control cells from the source virtual channel and to compute resource management data. The return cell circuitry is coupled to the source and destination port circuitry and to the management event circuitry and can receive control cells from the destination port circuitry, modify control cells based on the resource management data computed by the management event circuitry, and provide the modified control cells to the source port circuitry for transmission over source virtual channels.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving a forward resource management control cell in a network switch;
forwarding the forward resource management control cell to a destination node;
determining, after said forwarding, rate-based, flow-control data in the network switch, in response to receipt of the forward resource management control cell corresponding to a connection linking a source node and the destination node via the network switch;
storing the rate-based, flow-control data in the network switch before receipt of a backward resource management control cell in the network switch;
receiving in the network switch, from the destination node, the backward resource management control cell corresponding to the forward resource management control cell;
and
modifying in the network switch the backward resource management control cell, before forwarding the backward resource management control cell to the source node, based on the rate-based, flow-control data determined in response to the receipt of the forward resource management control cell.

4 more elements

A data transmission apparatus comprising:

source port circuitry operative to send and receive control cells on a source virtual channel;
destination port circuitry operative to send and receive control cells over a destination virtual channel;
switching circuitry operatively coupling the source port circuitry and the destination port circuitry, the switching circuitry comprising circuitry to exchange data cells and control cells between the source virtual channel and the destination virtual channel;
management event circuitry operatively coupled to the source port circuitry to receive control cells from the source virtual channel and to compute rate-based, flow-control data in response to receipt of a forward resource management control cell that corresponds to a connection linking a source node and a destination node via the data transmission apparatus, wherein the computation of the rate-based, flow-control data occurs after forwarding of the forward resource management control cell and the computed rate-based, flow-control data is stored before receipt of a backward resource management control cell corresponding to the forward resource management control cell;
and
return cell circuitry operatively coupled to the source and destination port circuitry and to the management event circuitry, the return cell circuitry comprising circuitry to receive control cells from the destination port circuitry, to modify a backward resource management control cell based on the rate-based, flow-control data computed by the management event circuitry, and to provide the modified backward resource management control cell to the source port circuitry for transmission over source virtual channels.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data cell traffic management

Life of this patent

Data cell traffic management

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18