Patent ID: 6604145
Filing Date: 2003-08-05
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of dynamically controlling ongoing packet flow from a producer among multiple producers to at least one consumer via an information pipeline containing an intermediate shared resource having a bandwidth, said method comprising:at a control unit, receiving as inputs producer output indications each indicating that the producer has output a packet and shared resource input indications each indicating that a packet previously output by the producer has been accepted by said shared resource for transmission to said at least one consumer; at said control unit, repetitively determining during ongoing packet flow from the producer to said at least one consumer whether said producer can output a packet without packet loss based upon how many packets have been output by said producer as indicated by said producer output indications, how many packets have been input into said shared resource as indicated by said shared resource input indications, bow many packets said control unit has permitted to be output by said producer as indicated by grant messages transmitted to said producer within a feedback latency of said control unit, and a portion of said bandwidth allocated to said producer, wherein said feedback latency includes a first latency for a producer output indication to reach said control unit from said producer and a second latency for a grant message generated by said control unit to reach said producer from said control unit and wherein said control unit determines whether said producer can output a packet without packet loss independently of any signaling by said at least one consumer; and in response to a determination that said producer can output a packet without packet loss, said control unit generating and outputting a grant message to said producer indicating that said producer is permitted to output a packet.