Patent ID: 7545747

Claim:
A packet flow control system for a switching node of a data transfer network, said system comprising: means for actively managing space allocations in a central queue for a plurality of ports of a switching node of a data transfer network, wherein the actively managing is based on an amount of currently unused space in the central queue; and wherein the means for actively managing includes means for determining, based on an amount of currently-vacant storage space in a storage device of a port of the plurality of ports, whether the port accepts an offered space for use by the port to buffer received data packets, the offered space comprising a quantity of the amount of currently unused space in the central queue; and wherein said means for determining further comprises: means for multiplying the amount of currently-vacant storage space in the storage device of the port by a scaling factor, wherein the scaling factor accounts for a difference between a first bandwidth at an input of the port and a second bandwidth between the port and the central queue.