FLOW-CONTROL IN A SWITCH FABRIC
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a module within a first stage of a switch fabric;
a module within a second stage of the switch fabric, the module within the first stage configured to send data to the module within the second stage; and
a module within a third stage of the switch fabric, the module within the second stage configured to send data to the module within the third stage,the module within the second stage configured to send a first suspension indicator to the module within the third stage, the module within the third stage configured to send a second suspension indicator to the module within the first stage in response to the first suspension indicator, the module within the first stage configured to stop sending data to the module within the second stage in response to the second suspension indicator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a module within a first stage of a switch fabric, a module within a second stage of the switch fabric, and a module within a third stage of the switch fabric. The module within the first stage is configured to send data to the module within the second stage. The module within the second stage is configured to send data to the module within the third stage. The module within the second stage is configured to send a first suspension indicator to the module within the third stage. The module within the third stage is configured to send a second suspension indicator to the module within the first stage in response to the first suspension indicator. The module within the first stage is configured to stop sending data to the module within the second stage in response to the second suspension indicator.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a module within a first stage of a switch fabric; a module within a second stage of the switch fabric, the module within the first stage configured to send data to the module within the second stage; and a module within a third stage of the switch fabric, the module within the second stage configured to send data to the module within the third stage, the module within the second stage configured to send a first suspension indicator to the module within the third stage, the module within the third stage configured to send a second suspension indicator to the module within the first stage in response to the first suspension indicator, the module within the first stage configured to stop sending data to the module within the second stage in response to the second suspension indicator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method, comprising:
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sending data from a module within a first stage of a switch fabric to a module within a second stage of the switch fabric; sending a first suspension indicator from the module within the second stage to a module within a third stage of the switch fabric; and sending a second suspension indicator from the module within the third stage to the module within the first stage in response to the first suspension indicator, the module within the first stage configured to stop sending data to the module within the second stage in response to the second suspension indicator. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to perform a process, the code comprising code to:
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receive data from a module within a first stage of a switch fabric; buffer the data in a queue within a memory; forward the buffered data to a module within a second stage of the switch fabric; and send a suspension indicator to the module within the second stage when an amount of data within the queue exceeds a threshold, the suspension indicator configured to stop the module within the first stage from sending data. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. An apparatus, comprising:
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a module within a first stage of a switch fabric; a module within a second stage of the switch fabric; a module within a third stage of the switch fabric; a first unidirectional data path, the first unidirectional data path configured to facilitate data transfer from the module within the first stage to the module within the second stage; a second unidirectional data path, the second unidirectional data path configured to facilitate data transfer from the module within the second stage to the module within the third stage; and a bidirectional data path configured to facilitate transfer of a flow-control indicator from the module within the third stage to the module within the first stage. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification