Patent ID: 9154438
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for providing a fairness protocol in a network element that is communicatively connected with a plurality of network elements in a daisy chain configuration, the method comprising: receiving one or more local packets at one or more local ingress ports of the network element; scheduling the one or more local packets into a local transit queue; receiving one or more remote packets at a transit ingress port of the network element, the one or more remote packets being sourced from one or more remote ingress ports of one or more of the plurality of network elements communicatively connected with the network element in the daisy chain configuration; copying at least one of the one or more remote packets into a remote transit queue; monitoring a bandwidth of traffic sourced from each of the one or more local ingress ports and the one or more remote ingress ports; identifying a port among the one or more local ingress ports that sources a largest bandwidth of traffic and a port among the one or more remote ingress ports that sources a largest bandwidth of traffic; and arbitrating between the local transit queue and the remote transit queue when transmitting packets from a transit egress port of the network element based on the identified ports that source the largest bandwidth of traffic.