Patent ID: 7295519

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a distributed switch fabric network having a first node and a second node coupled to exchange a plurality of packets over a channel, wherein the plurality of packets are divided into a plurality of priority levels of packets; detecting a congestion condition of one of the plurality of priority levels of packets in the second node; reporting the congestion condition of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets to the first node; the first node suspending transmission of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets over the channel to the second node; detecting a clear condition of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets in the second node; reporting the clear condition of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets to the first node; resuming transmission of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets from the first node to the second node; providing each of the plurality of priority levels of packets with a transmit buffer; the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets accumulating in the transmit buffer corresponding to the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets; if the transmit buffer corresponding to the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets reaches a transmit threshold value, a traffic manager of the first node modifying transmission of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets to the transmit buffer; and if resuming transmission occurs prior to the transmit buffer reaching the transmit threshold value, the first node suspending transmission of the one of the plurality of priority levels of packets occurring transparently to the traffic manager of the first node.