Abstract: In a technique for performing flow control in a wide-area network, a user-specified flow control message such as a Pause message is provisioned at a first node, and a user-specified flow control message filter is provisioned at a second node coupled to the first node. At the first node, the availability of a buffer for data received from the second node is monitored, and in response to a predetermined availability condition, the provisioned flow control message is sent to the second node. In a Pause/Resume protocol, the buffer may be monitored for an Almost Full condition, and the flow control message may be a Pause message indicating that the first node should suspend transmission. The second node compares messages from the first node against the flow control message filter. Upon detecting the flow control message from the first node, the second node takes a predetermined flow control action with respect to the transmission of data to the first node.

Abstract: A system to provide fractional bandwidth data transmission includes a network processor, physical layer device, or link layer device {“data device”) and a plurality of link layer devices that are coupled to a plurality of input-output ports. The link layer devices are coupled in a serial daisy chain fashion and pass data via a plurality of data channels. The first linked layer device is coupled to the data device and receives data therefrom and the last linked layer device is coupled to the data device and transmits data thereto forming a ring network that includes all of the link layer devices and the data device. Data received from the data device is contained in data packets that contain a destination identifier and the data. Each link layer device receives input data packets and separates the data packets based on the destination identifier contained therein.

Abstract: In a technique for performing flow control in a wide-area network, a user-specified flow control message such as a Pause message is provisioned at a first node, and a user-specified flow control message filter is provisioned at a second node coupled to the first node. At the first node, the availability of a buffer for data received from the second node is monitored, and in response to a predetermined availability condition, the provisioned flow control message is sent to the second node. In a Pause/Resume protocol, the buffer may be monitored for an Almost Full condition, and the flow control message may be a Pause message indicating that the first node should suspend transmission. The second node compares messages from the first node against the flow control message filter. Upon detecting the flow control message from the first node, the second node takes a predetermined flow control action with respect to the transmission of data to the first node.

Abstract: A system to provide fractional bandwidth data transmission includes a network processor, physical layer device, or link layer device {“data device”) and a plurality of link layer devices that are coupled to a plurality of input-output ports. The link layer devices are coupled in a serial daisy chain fashion and pass data via a plurality of data channels. The first linked layer device is coupled to the data device and receives data therefrom and the last linked layer device is coupled to the data device and transmits data thereto forming a ring network that includes all of the link layer devices and the data device. Data received from the data device is contained in data packets that contain a destination identifier and the data. Each link layer device receives input data packets and separates the data packets based on the destination identifier contained therein.