Method and apparatus for handling flow control for a data transfer
First Claim
1. An apparatus for managing flow control of a data transfer, comprising:
- a processor adapted to operate according to a first protocol associated with a plurality of receive buffers, the processor being further adapted to operate according to a second protocol adapted to manage the plurality of receive buffers for the first protocol, the processor being further adapted to operate according to a third protocol that determines whether one of the plurality of receive buffers is available for a data packet and (a) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is available, permits an acknowledgement packet to be sent to a node that sent the data packet, and (b) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is unavailable, drops the data packet, notifies the second protocol regarding the unavailability of the plurality of receive buffers, and withholds the acknowledgement packet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments relate to an apparatus and method for managing flow control of a data transfer. An apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may comprise a first protocol associated with a plurality of receive buffers, a second protocol adapted to manage the plurality of receive buffers for the first protocol, and a third protocol that determines whether one of the plurality of receive buffers is available for a data packet and (a) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is available, permits an acknowledgement packet to be sent to a node that sent the data packet, and (b) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is unavailable, drops the data packet, notifies the second protocol regarding the unavailability of the plurality of receive buffers, and withholds the acknowledgement packet.
29 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An apparatus for managing flow control of a data transfer, comprising:
a processor adapted to operate according to a first protocol associated with a plurality of receive buffers, the processor being further adapted to operate according to a second protocol adapted to manage the plurality of receive buffers for the first protocol, the processor being further adapted to operate according to a third protocol that determines whether one of the plurality of receive buffers is available for a data packet and (a) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is available, permits an acknowledgement packet to be sent to a node that sent the data packet, and (b) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is unavailable, drops the data packet, notifies the second protocol regarding the unavailability of the plurality of receive buffers, and withholds the acknowledgement packet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A network, comprising:
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a plurality of systems, at least one of the plurality of systems executing a process; and at least one input/output device adapted to receive a data packet from the at least one of the plurality of systems, the at least one input/output device comprising; a first protocol associated with a plurality of receive buffers; a second protocol adapted to manage the plurality of receive buffers for the first protocol; and a third protocol that determines whether one of the plurality of receive buffers is available for a data packet and (a) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is available, permits an acknowledgement packet to be sent to a node that sent the data packet, and (b) if one of the plurality of receive buffers is unavailable, drops the data packet, notifies the second protocol regarding the unavailability of the plurality of receive buffers, and withholds the acknowledgement packet. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of managing flow control of a data transfer, the method comprising the acts of:
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receiving a data packet; determining whether at least one receive buffer is available for the data packet; if the at least one buffer is available, sending an acknowledgement packet to a node that sent the data packet; and if the at least one buffer is unavailable, dropping the data packet, providing a notification regarding the unavailability of the at least one buffer, and withholding an acknowledgement packet from the node that sent the data packet. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An apparatus for managing flow control of a data transfer, comprising:
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means for receiving a data packet at a first protocol; means for determining whether at least one receive buffer is available for the data packet; means for sending an acknowledgement packet to a node that send the data packet if the at least one buffer is available; and means for dropping the data packet, notifying a second protocol regarding the unavailability of the at least one buffer, and preventing an acknowledgement packet from being sent if the at least one buffer is unavailable.
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Specification