Patent ID: 8180874

Claim:
An Ethernet switch, comprising: at least one data processing device; instructions processable by said at least one data processing device; and an apparatus from which said instructions are accessible by said at least one data processing device; wherein said instructions are configured for enabling said at least one data processing device to facilitate: a MAC table being populated to have a plurality of MAC address entries therein, wherein each one of said entries designates a respective MAC address, a respective MAC address category and a respective timeout value and wherein the respective MAC address category is one of a MAC address category corresponding to one-way traffic and a MAC address category corresponding to two-way traffic; a flood determining mechanism determining when an increase in the number of MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeds a prescribed threshold value; and a timeout value adjustment mechanism adjusting said timeout values dependent upon MAC address category, wherein said adjusting includes causing the timeout value of at least a portion said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category to be less than a default timeout value; wherein the flood determining mechanism is configured for determining when: an increase in the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeds a first prescribed penalty threshold value; an increase in the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeds a second prescribed penalty threshold value; and an increase in the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeds a prescribed drop threshold value; and the timeout value adjustment mechanism is configured for: setting the timeout value in said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category at a first reduced value relative to the default timeout value in response to the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeding the first prescribed penalty threshold value; setting the timeout value in said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category at a second reduced value relative to said default timeout value in response to the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeding the second prescribed penalty threshold value; and dropping traffic associated with at least a portion of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category in response to the number of said MAC address entries designating said one-way traffic MAC address category exceeding the prescribed drop threshold value.