Patent ID: 8121035
Filing Date: 2012-02-21
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for packet buffer management in an Internet protocol network system with at least one port having an internal queue, the apparatus comprising: a memory comprising: a buffer state detector to determine whether a buffer value stored in a link queue buffer of a corresponding link exceeds a minimum buffer threshold value by comparing a number of packets stored in the link queue buffer with the minimum buffer threshold value of the link queue buffer; a buffer manager, coupled to the buffer state detector, to set the minimum buffer threshold value of each of the at least one link queue buffer, to set the shared buffer to be comprised in the link queue buffer of the corresponding link if the buffer value stored in the link queue buffer of the corresponding link exceeds the minimum buffer threshold value; and a dequeuing block to identify an address of the stored packet, to extract the stored packet from the memory using the address of the stored packet, and to transmit the stored packet, wherein the buffer manager is configured to determine whether a packet buffer remains in the shared buffer, to allocate a buffer of the packet to be transmitted to the shared buffer if the packet buffer remains in the shared buffer, and to drop the packet to be transmitted if no packet buffer remains in the shared buffer.