Patent ID: 7675929

Claim:
A method of managing data packet transfers between modules of a serial-link communication system from an application of a first module through a core of the module to the serial link, the method comprising: A. the core receiving data transfer credits at a receive interface of the core of the first module; B. the core updating a data transfer credit count within a plurality of data transfer credit buses of the application; C. the core asserting a first signal indicating that the data transfer credit count on each of the plurality of data transfer credit buses is valid; D. the application asserting a second signal indicating that it is taking control of the data transfer credits on each of the plurality of data transfer credit buses and preventing the core from updating the data transfer credit count on each of the plurality of data transfer credit buses; E. the application transferring data packets to the serial link through the core and decrementing the data transfer credit count for one of the plurality of data transfer credit buses for each data packet transferred; and F. the application deasserting the second signal to release control over the data transfer credits; wherein each data packet transfer is one of a number of different types of data packet transfers; and wherein the application forces a deassertion of the second signal if the data transfer credit count for a type of data packet transfer drops below a threshold number.