Patent ID: 9455913
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method for managing memory of a passive optical network (PON) comprising: receiving a plurality of data packets; storing a plurality of packet descriptors associated with each data packet in a configurable first queue, wherein the first queue includes a plurality of cache slots and is managed in an internal memory; adjusting a quantity of the plurality of cache slots based on read and write operations to an external memory; identifying a state of the first queue; in response to the state of the first queue meeting a predetermined threshold, transferring packet descriptors from a tail cache slot of the first queue to a second queue, wherein the second queue is managed in the external memory; and storing additional packet descriptors in the second queue while the state of the first queue meets the predetermined threshold; dequeueing a packet descriptor of the plurality of packet descriptors from the first queue; in response to the dequeuing of the packet descriptor, transferring content of a cache slot from among the plurality of cache slots from the second queue to the first queue, the content comprising at least one of the additional packet descriptors; and changing the state of the first queue when all additional packet descriptors of the second queue are transferred to the first queue and all cache slots of the first queue are available for storage.