Patent ID: 8737228

Claim:
A method for managing flow control in a data center Ethernet (DCE) network, comprising: intercepting at least one source buffer credit report transmitted from a source node to a destination node, by at least one first extended data interface (EDI) interspersed on a DCE link during an initiation sequence between the source node and the destination node in the DCE network for determining buffer credits available for receiving packets, wherein the source node and the destination node are separated by an extended distance, and the first EDI is connected to the source node by a link that is shorter than the extended distance; intercepting at least one destination buffer credit report transmitted from the destination node to the source node by a second EDI, the second EDI interspersed on the DCE link between the first EDI and the destination node and connected to the destination node by a link that is shorter than the extended distance; generating at least one first link initialization response to the source buffer credit report by the first EDI in response to intercepting the source buffer credit report and sending the at least one first link initialization response to the source node by the first EDI, the first link initialization response indicating buffer credits available in the first EDI; generating at least one second link initialization response to the destination buffer credit report by the second EDI in response to intercepting the destination buffer credit report and sending the at least one second link initialization response to the destination node by the second EDI, the second link initialization response indicating buffer credits available in the second EDI; completing the initiation sequence based on the link initialization responses from the first and second EDIs; and based on a loss of light link failure, performing a link recovery, the link recovery including: invalidating all packets in flight in the network; purging the first EDI and transmitting a first link failure signal to the source node by the first EDI, the first link failure signal causing the source node to purge packets stored therein; and purging the second EDI and transmitting a second link failure signal to the destination node by the second EDI, the second link failure signal causing the destination node to purge any packets stored therein.