Patent ID: 7327678

Claim:
A network system, comprising: a first network node, comprising: an input for receiving a packet; a buffer, coupled to the input and for storing the packet; circuitry for designating a plurality of virtual space regions in the buffer, wherein each one of said virtual space regions serves a respective packet communicating session; circuitry for detecting packet congestion in at least one congested virtual space region in the plurality of virtual space regions, wherein said detecting includes detecting when a number of packets stored in said one congested virtual space region exceeds a region threshold corresponding to said one congested virtual space region; and circuitry, responsive to a detection by the circuitry for detecting that the number of packets stored in said one congested virtual space region exceeds the region threshold, for issuing a pause message along an output to at least a second network node; wherein the pause message indicates a message ingress address and a message egress address, the message ingress address and the message egress address corresponding to a network ingress address and a network egress address in a congestion-causing packet received by the first network node and wherein the network ingress address and the network egress address correspond to the session served by said one congested virtual space region such that the pause message indicates a single network ingress address and a single network egress address corresponding to said one congested virtual space region; and wherein the pause message commands the second network node to discontinue, for a period of time, transmitting to the first network node any packets that have the message ingress address and the message egress address thereby temporarily interrupting transmission of any packets corresponding to the session served by said one congested virtual space region.