Patent ID: 8599691

Claim:
A network switch comprising: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), comprising: a first port adapted to transmit data; a processor, coupled to the ASIC; and software, executed by the processor, comprising: logic to mitigate slow drain bottlenecks on the first port, comprising: logic to cause the ASIC to flush frames trying to egress on the first port during a mitigation period, comprising: logic to define a mitigation period of an initial length; and logic to cause the ASIC to flush frames trying to egress on the first port for the mitigation period; and logic to modify the mitigation period depending on whether a slow drain bottleneck persists on the port upon expiration of the mitigation period, comprising: logic to increase the mitigation period if a slow drain bottleneck persists on the port at the expiration of the mitigation period; logic to decrease the mitigation period if no slow drain bottleneck persists on the port at the expiration of the mitigation period; and logic to repetitively execute the logic to cause the ASIC to flush frames, the logic to increase the mitigation period, and the logic to decrease the mitigation period until the mitigation period reaches a first threshold value or a second threshold value, the first threshold value higher than the second threshold value.