Patent ID: 8005079

Claim:
A network switching device comprising: a plurality of ports configured to receive data frames over a plurality of communication channels, respectively, wherein the plurality of ports are configured to selectively store the data frames in buffers of a shared memory, and wherein a receiving port of the plurality of ports is configured to store a first frame of the data frames in at least one buffer of the buffers; a forwarding module configured to assign the first frame to a transmitting port of the plurality of ports for transmission over the respective communication channel of the transmitting port, wherein the forwarding module is configured to assign the first frame to the transmitting port subsequent to the first frame being received by the network switching device at the receiving port; and a queue controller configured to (i) store respective counts for the plurality of ports, (ii) increment the count for the receiving port subsequent to the forwarding module assigning the first frame to the transmitting port, and (iii) decrement the count for the receiving port subsequent to the first frame being transmitted by the transmitting port, wherein the plurality of ports are configured to respectively exercise flow control based on a pause threshold and the respective counts.