Patent ID: 6529518
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method of providing access to a network for a network adapter, the network adapter including control logic and a bypass buffer, comprising the steps of:(A) determining whether a pause request has been received from a downstream network adapter, (B) determining whether there is room available within the adapter's bypass buffer to accommodate an incoming data packet from the network while a local packet is being sent, and (C) sending a local data packet to the network if there is sufficient room available within the bypass buffer to accommodate an incoming data packet from the network and no pause request has been received and there is a local packet to be sent and further including the steps of: (C1) sending a bypass data packet to the network if there is not sufficient room available within the bypass buffer to accommodate an incoming data packet from the network, (C2) sending a pause request packet to an upstream network adapter if there is not sufficient room within the bypass buffer to accommodate an incoming data packet from the network, (C3) sending data packets from the bypass buffer over the network to downstream adapters until the bypass buffer is emptied to a threshold level, then (C4) sending a data packet over the network which de-asserts the pause request to an upstream network adapter and sending a local data packet over the network to a downstream network adapter.