Patent ID: 8411574
Filing Date: 2013-04-02
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A flow control method in a network device, comprising: receiving a data packet at a receive port in the network device; incrementing a receive port counter only when a count of previously received data packets stored in a shared memory exceeds a predetermined value; determining, using a comparator, whether the receive port counter is greater than a first threshold; determining a transmit port for transmitting the received data packet to its destination; incrementing a transmit port counter for the transmit port; determining whether the transmit port counter is greater than a second threshold, which, when the transmit port counter is greater than the second threshold, defines the transmit port as congested; dropping the data packet if the receive port counter is greater than the first threshold and the transmit port counter is greater than the second threshold such that only selected packets received at the receive port, which are destined for a congested transmit port, are dropped; and processing the data packet if the receive port counter is greater than the first threshold and the transmit port counter is less than the second threshold such that data packets received at the receive port, which are destined for an uncongested transmit port, are not dropped.