Patent ID: 7254112

Claim:
A method for allocating reassembly queues at an egress of a network element to traffic flows received at an ingress to said network element, each traffic flow having a respective packet size parameter for indicating whether said each traffic flow is a single-cell packet traffic flow having single-cell packets or a variable-size packet traffic flow having variable-size packets, each of said single-cell packets being associated with a single internal cell within said network element and each of said variable-size packets being associated with a variable number of internal cells within said network element, said method comprising the steps of: (a) grouping said traffic flows into first and second groups utilizing said packet size parameter of said each traffic flow, said first group for single-cell packet traffic flows and said second group for variable-size packet traffic flows; and (b) sending internal cells associated with said first group to at least one designated reassembly queue of said reassembly queues, wherein said at least one designated reassembly queue is designated for said first group, and wherein said at least one designated reassembly queue is for reassembling said single-cell packets from said internal cells associated with said first group prior to transmission from said network element.