Patent ID: 7953024

Claim:
A first switching device, comprising: a plurality of memory portions, one or more of which is dedicated to storing data packets received at the first switching device via a respective one of a plurality of communication paths; and a common memory portion including a plurality of storage locations, wherein one or more of the plurality of storage locations is configured to store data packets received via any of the plurality of communication paths; wherein, prior to receiving one or more data packets from a second switching device via a given one of the plurality of communication paths, the first switching device is configured to: provide information to the second switching device indicative of a first amount of available storage for storing data packets, wherein the first amount of available storage represents an amount of available storage in the common memory portion and an amount of available storage in the memory portion that is dedicated to the given one of the plurality of communication paths; and wherein, in response to receiving the one or more data packets via the given one of the plurality of communication paths, the first switching device is further configured to: in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of storage locations is available to store the received one or more data packets, store the received one or more data packets for re-transmission in an available one of the plurality of storage locations; and in response to determining that none of the plurality of storage locations is available to store the received one or more data packets, store the received one or more data packets for re-transmission in a memory portion of the plurality of memory portions that is dedicated to the given one of the plurality of communication paths.