Patent ID: 7342881

Claim:
A method of controlling a traffic flow from a first device to a queue of a second device using a backpressure flow control mechanism, comprising steps of: determining an amount of traffic destined towards the queue of the second device during the most recent flow control round trip time by retaining a record of east backpressure flow control signals generated during a most recent flow control round trip time, wherein the backpressure flow control signal takes a value of either “Stop” or “Go” and then calculating from the record the amount of time the backpressure flow control signals have indicated that the transfer of the traffic can proceed, by measuring the amount of time Tg a “Go” value was asserted; measuring a current depth Q of the queue; and generating a backpressure flow control signal in response to the amount of traffic and the current depth of the queue determined above in relation to the size of the queue, according to the following logic: If ((O+Tg×C)>B) then set State=Stop, Else State=Go where C is the rate of traffic transfer from the first device to the second device.