Patent ID: 7352701
Filing Date: 2008-04-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for credit recovery due to lost frames in an in-line credit extender coupled between a remote device and a local device, where the in-line credit extender extends credit for the local device, comprising: determining credit loss due to lost frames by comparing a frame count value with a primitive count value for a receive segment of the in-line credit extender, the primitive count value being maintained in a buffer to buffer credit recovery module of the in-line credit extender, the buffer to buffer credit recovery module interfacing with the receive segment of the in-line extender that receives frames and primitives from the remote device and a transmit segment of the in-line extender that transmits frames and primitives to the remote device, wherein a primitive is sent periodically by the remote device after certain number of frames are transmitted by the remote device to the local device via the in-line extender, wherein the credit loss is a difference between the frame count value and the primitive count value for the receive segment of the in-line credit extender; storing the credit loss in a buffer at the buffer-to-buffer credit recovery module in the in-line extender; increasing a transmit frame count based on the credit loss, the transmit frame count is maintained for frames that are transmitted by the in-line extender to the local device and the transmit frame count is maintained by a counter in the buffer to buffer credit recovery module; and sending the primitive to the local device if the transmit flame count after adding the credit loss matches a primitive count maintained for the transmit segment of the in-line extender by the buffer-to-buffer recovery module.