Abstract: Methods and systems for network communication are provided. A method includes maintaining a first segment of a routing data structure at a first switching module of a network adapter for routing a frame between virtual machines executed by a computing device operationally coupled to the network adapter; maintaining a second segment of the routing data structure at a second switching module for routing a frame received at a port of the network adapter to an external destination; receiving a frame from the computing device and using the first segment by the first switching module to route the frame to a destination virtual machine; and receiving a frame at a port of the network adapter and using the second segment of the routing structure by the second switching module to the route the frame to its destination without providing the frame to the computing device.

Abstract: The present embodiments support both tunneling and offload functionality for tunneled packet having a tunnel header, the tunnel header encapsulating a packet, the packet having a packet header and a payload. When a tunneled packet is received at a network device, an offset value for the packet header is determined by comparing the tunnel header to a plurality of entries stored at a data structure maintained by the network device. The offset value is used for pre-processing the packet, and an offload module of the network device performs an offload function.

Abstract: In a network having a computing system interfacing with a storage system via a switch, an average transmit wait count value is compared with a first threshold value. The average transmit wait count value is updated when a switch port has a frame available for transmission but is unable to transmit the frame if a port of the storage system is unable to receive the frame or if another switch port is unable to receive the frame. A congestion message is generated for notifying a management module of congestion at the switch port when the average transmit wait count value reaches the first threshold value. Depending upon the characteristics of the congestion, a notification is sent to the computing system to either only reduce a rate of write operations to reduce congestion, or to reduce both the rate of write operations and a rate of read operations.

Abstract: Packet flow control techniques are disclosed. In one example case, a flow control method is provided that includes transmitting a plurality of packets with an inter-packet gap disposed between neighboring packets, and increasing the length of the inter-packet gap to decrease packet rate, wherein the increased length is selected based on severity of a congestion condition. In another example case, a flow control system is provided that includes circuitry for transmitting and/or receiving a plurality of packets with an inter-packet gap disposed between neighboring packets, and circuitry for increasing the length of the inter-packet gap to decrease packet rate, wherein the increased length is selected based on severity of a congestion condition. The techniques can be carried out at one node of a communication system (such as in a backplane switch) or multiple nodes (such as between a backplane switch and a circuit board operatively coupled to the backplane).

Abstract: A source node receives related frames of data to be transmitted from the source node to a destination node and places the frames in a queue. The queue is associated with a communication path over which the related frames are to be transmitted to the destination node. An interface that couples the source node to the communication path receives an indication directed to the source node of traffic congestion in the communication path. In response, the source node controls the rate at which the related frames of data are transferred from the queue to a transmit buffer accessible to the interface, in order to relieve the traffic congestion in the communication path.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, methods, and articles described generally herein may receive a first packet marked with a congestion indicator (CI). Upon receipt of the CI, a load-balancing operation may be performed among a plurality of physical links upstream from a point of congestion to alleviate the congestion. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, methods, and articles described generally herein may receive a first packet marked with a congestion indicator (CI). Upon receipt of the CI, a load-balancing operation may be performed among a plurality of physical links upstream from a point of congestion to alleviate the congestion. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the invention, a method comprises measuring traffic congestion experienced by a message transmitted from a source device, and if the measured traffic congestion exceeds a threshold limit, altering at least one bit within a Layer 2 (L2) header of the message. This bit alteration is subsequently used to determine when to notify a source of the message that the message experienced traffic congestion.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, methods, and articles described generally herein may receive a first packet marked with a congestion indicator (CI). Upon receipt of the CI, a load-balancing operation may be performed among a plurality of physical links upstream from a point of congestion to alleviate the congestion. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: A flow control method according to one embodiment may include transmitting a first plurality of packets from a transmitting node to a receiving node at an initial packet rate, and transmitting a second plurality packets from the transmitting node to the receiving node at a congested packet rate less than the initial packet rate in response to a signal from the receiving node representative of a congestion condition at the receiving node. Of course, many alternatives, variations, and modifications are possible without departing from this embodiment.

Abstract: A source node receives related frames of data to be transmitted from the source node to a destination node and places the frames in a queue. The queue is associated with a communication path over which the related frames are to be transmitted to the destination node. An interface that couples the source node to the communication path receives an indication directed to the source node of traffic congestion in the communication path. In response, the source node controls the rate at which the related frames of data are transferred from the queue to a transmit buffer accessible to the interface, in order to relieve the traffic congestion in the communication path.

Abstract: A node uses a two dimensional array of transmit queues to store frames to be transmitted from the node to another node. The size of the array is governed by the number of directions to which the other node may forward frames once received from the node, and the number of priorities that may be associated with the frames. The transmit queues are distinguished from each other based on direction and priority. A transmitter transmits frames dequeued from the transmit queues to the other node. Control logic that controls the transmit queues receives an indication from the other node whether the other node is experiencing traffic congestion in any of the directions and the priority of frames at or below which the control logic is to control the dequeuing of frames from transmit queues corresponding to the directions in which the other node is experiencing traffic congestion.