Patent ID: 7822051

Claim:
A switch comprising: a processor, for dequeuing a multicasting descriptor from a multicasting link-list in response to: (a) a requested number of duplications; (b) a duplications counter, wherein the processor is configured to update the duplications counter after a referred data entity was successfully duplicated to a destination; and (c) a rejected duplications counter that is indicative of a number of multicasting descriptors that were denied from being enqueued into queues of output ports to which the multicasting descriptors were assigned; a memory unit, coupled to the processor, for maintain the multicasting link-list; wherein the processor is further configured to store inside a multicasting descriptor a value of at least one of: (a) a requested number of duplications; (b) a duplications counter; and (e) a rejected duplications counter; wherein the processor is configured to generate multiple multicasting descriptor pointers in response to a multicasting descriptor, wherein the processor is further configured to: provide a multicasting descriptor pointer after another multicasting descriptor pointer was generated; and provide the last multicasting descriptor pointer, and dequeue the multicasting descriptor, in response to: (a) the requested number of duplications; (b) the duplications counter; and (c) the rejected duplications counter.