Patent ID: 8233390

Claim:
A method performed in a network element for managing a packet memory and controlling further packet admittance into the packet memory based on a memory usage of the packet memory, the method comprising: accessing a source-based memory usage table to identify a source having a memory usage of the packet memory satisfying a predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory, the source-based memory usage table including a plurality of source records, each source record corresponding to a source from which packets are received by the network element, each source record including a current memory usage of the packet memory based on the size of the packets received from the corresponding source that are currently in the packet memory and a predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory of the corresponding source; transmitting a first flow control signal to the identified source whose memory usage of the packet memory satisfies the corresponding predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory to control further packet transmission from the identified source; accessing a priority-based memory usage table to identify a priority of which a memory usage of the packet memory satisfies a predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory of the priority, the priority-based memory usage table including a plurality of priority records, each priority record corresponding with a priority and including a current memory usage of the packet memory based on the size of packets currently in the packet memory of the corresponding priority and a predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory associated with the corresponding priority; and transmitting a second flow control signal to a set of one or more sources associated with the identified priority having a memory usage of the packet memory satisfying the corresponding predetermined memory usage threshold for the packet memory to control further packet transmission from the identified set of sources.