Patent ID: 7760647
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: H04L,Y02D

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving a first queuing status message, the received first queuing status message indicating a queuing resource utilization for a first network device coupled to a packet processing device that exchanges information between first and second networks; receiving a second queuing status message, the received second queuing status message indicating a queuing resource utilization for a second network device coupled to the packet processing device; accessing a mapping that correlates each of the network devices to a predetermined time slot, wherein each of the predetermined time slots is set at a different amount of time after a reference than the other predetermined time slots; sending a group of queuing status messages to indicate a current queuing status of the first and second network devices as specified by the queuing resource utilization indications, wherein each of the queuing status messages of the group is sent at a different time according to the mapping; pausing queuing status transmissions to cause the first and second network devices to observe a transmission gap; sending a next group of queuing status messages according to the mapping to indicate a current queuing status of the first and second network devices as specified by the queuing resource utilization indications and any subsequently received queuing resource utilization indications, wherein each of the queuing status messages of the next group is sent a different amount of time later than said transmission gap according to the mapping; and continuously repeating said transmission pausing and said sending of a next group of queuing status messages; wherein the queuing status messages are sent to the first and second network devices out of band with respect to packets traveling from the first network through the packet processing device to the second network, and wherein a physical line that is used for transmitting the queuing status messages is also used for synchronization signaling using said transmission gap.