Patent ID: 7426185
Filing Date: 2008-09-16
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. Flow control apparatus comprising: an output port having an output port bandwidth; a first monitor that operates to monitor bandwidth utilization through said output port by a plurality of downstream-flowing information flows all sharing said output port bandwidth, and to assert a first backpressure signal in response to overutilization of said output port due to a first one of said information flows, said first backpressure signal being specific to said first information flow; a source of said information flows, said source upstream of the output port and that operates to withhold information from said output port of said first information flow in response to said first backpressure signal, until said first backpressure signal is withdrawn; and a feed-forward unit upstream of the first monitor and that operates to send signals downstream to said first monitor indicating numbers of blocks of said first information flow scheduled for downstream transmission as seen at a point upstream of said output port.