Patent ID: 8259728

Claim:
A method for handling congestion in a communication system, the method comprising: detecting a received out-of-order packet by a receiving device on a network, wherein said receiving device is enabled to save one or more of a plurality of isles, but not all of said plurality of isles; determining whether a maximum number of isles are saved by said receiving device; communicating an acknowledgement to said transmitting device identifying a hole associated with a missed packet, the acknowledgement requesting retransmission of the missed packet when less than the maximum number of isles are saved by said receiving device; dropping the received out-of-order packet when the maximum number of isles are saved by said receiving device; and communicating a signal from said receiving device to the transmitting device that sent said received out-of-order packet when the maximum number of isles are saved by said receiving device, wherein said signal indicates to said transmitting device to enter a congestion alleviation mode without waiting for a delay period, said delay period associated with a delayed-Ack time period, said signal further comprising a flag indicating that the out-of-order packet has been dropped.