Patent ID: 7551621

Claim:
A method for detecting and reducing packet drops in a communications system, comprising: receiving a first packet having a sequence number at a node in the communications system, the node including an adapter configured to receive and transmit packets and a driver configured to control the adapter; determining if a second packet having a sequence number immediately preceding the sequence number of the first packet is lost; determining if a third packet having a sequence number immediately preceding the sequence number of the second packet is lost if the second packet is determined as lost, incrementing a counter if the second and third packets are determined as lost; logging a first error message if the counter violates a count threshold; controlling, with the driver, the adapter to reduce an amount of time required before detecting link activity after an end of a previous frame if the counter violates the count threshold and the amount of time required before detecting link activity has not been previously reduced; controlling, with the driver, the adapter to negotiate a lower link speed if a current link speed is above a negotiable threshold and the amount of time required before detecting link activity has been previously reduced; and logging a second error message if the current link speed is not above the negotiable threshold.