Abstract: A system includes a plurality of computers interconnected by a network including one or more switching nodes. The computers transfer messages over virtual circuits established thereamong. A computer, as a source computer for one or more virtual circuit(s), schedules transmission of messages on a round-robin basis as among the virtual circuits for which it is source computer. Each switching node which forms part of a path for respective virtual circuits also forwards messages for virtual circuits in a round-robin manner, and, a computer, as a destination computer for one or more virtual circuit(s), schedules processing of received messages in a round-robin manner. Round-robin transmission, forwarding and processing at the destination provides a degree of fairness in message transmission as among the virtual circuits established over the network.

Abstract: A system and method of sanitizing a data frame from a node in a network loop includes receiving the data frame from the node, and, when the data frame includes invalid data, replacing a first word of the invalid data with a frame termination primitive and subsequent words of the invalid data with buffer data.