Patent ID: 6272550
Filing Date: 2001-08-07
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A network access unit for coupling one or more computer devices to a data communication network, comprising:a plurality of outbound queues configured to temporarily store packets for transmission on the data communication network;a receiver, operatively coupled to one of the computer devices, configured to receive a packet from the one of the computer devices and to place the packet on one of the plurality of outbound queues, the packet having at least a source address and a destination address;a first threshold unit configured to allow further action if the packet is an acknowledgement packet;a second threshold unit configured to allow further action if a count of the number of packets on the one of the plurality of outbound queues exceeds a predefined threshold;a third threshold unit configured to allow further action if the source address and the destination address of the packet are identical to the source and destination address information of at least one of the packets already on the one of the plurality of outbound queues;a mark unit configured to mark an acknowledgment-only packet on the one of the plurality of outbound queues having source and destination address information identical to the source address and the destination address of the packet;a discard unit configured to discard marked acknowledgement-only packets on the one of the plurality of outbound queues; anda transmitter configured to transmit remaining temporarily stored packets from the plurality of outbound queues to the data communication network.