Patent ID: 8451718

Claim:
A method of managing flow of datagram traffic, the method comprising: receiving datagrams from a first port of a first device at a first port of a second device using a pathway that is operably connected to a second port of the first device and a second port of the second device; determining, by the second device, that the first port of the second device is oversubscribed; in response to determining that that the first port of the second device is oversubscribed, transmitting a control frame indicating the oversubscription from the second device to the first device, the indication of the oversubscription being independent of an address of the first port of the first device; in response to, and based on the indication of the oversubscription of the first port of the second device: determining, by the first device, that the first port of the first device is contributing the oversubscription; transmitting, by the first device, a pause frame to the first port of the first device, the pause frame causing the first port of the first device to individually pause transmission of the datagrams to the first port of the second device using the pathway; and receiving datagrams from a third port of the first device at the first port of the second device using the pathway, while the first port on the first device is individually paused.