Abstract: A method is provided for packet flow control for a switching node of a data transfer network. The method includes actively managing space allocations in a central queue of a switching node allotted to the ports of the switching node based on the amount of unused space currently available in the central queue. In a further aspect, the method includes separately tracking unallocated space and vacated allocated space, which had been used to buffer packets received by the ports but were vacated since a previous management update due to a packet being removed from the central queue. Each port is offered vacated space that is currently allocated to that port and a quantity of the currently unallocated space in the central queue to distribute to one or more virtual lanes of the port.

Abstract: Method, system and program product are provided for packet flow control for a switching node of a data transfer network. The method includes actively managing space allocations in a central queue of a switching node allotted to the ports of the switching node based on the amount of unused space currently available in the central queue. In a further aspect, the method includes separately tracking unallocated space and vacated allocated space, which had been used to buffer packets received by the ports but were vacated since a previous management update due to a packet being removed from the central queue. Each port is offered vacated space that is currently allocated to that port and a quantity of the currently unallocated space in the central queue to distribute to one or more virtual lanes of the port.

Abstract: A system and method for purging data packets in a network is provided. The method in one aspect includes monitoring an outbound queue for one or more selected packets to be pulled from the outbound queue. The method may further include waiting for a predetermined amount of time for the selected packets to enter a retry queue and monitoring the retry queue for the selected packets to be pulled from the retry queue. The method may also include determining if the selected packets pulled from the retry queue meet one or more specified criteria and purging the selected packets if the specified criteria is met. The method may further include returning to the step of monitoring an outbound queue if another purge signal is received.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for simultaneously searching two ends of a vector. The circuit comprises at least one input for receiving a vector of head pointers. A first input of a memory latch receives the vector of head pointers. An input of a first priority decoder receives the vector of head pointers from the memory latch. The first priority decoder traverses the vector of head pointers from a first end of the vector for identifying one active bit in the vector. An input of a first reverse module also receives the vector of head pointers from the memory latch. An input of second priority decoder receives the vector of head pointers (in reverse order) from the first reverse module. The second priority decoder traverses the vector received from the first reverse module from a first end of the reversed vector for identifying one active bit in the vector.

Abstract: The filtering operations normally performed at the output port side of an Infiniband (or similar protocol) routing switch are performed in parallel at the input side to prevent data packets from being placed on a queue from which they would ordinarily ultimately be discarded, thus removing “bad” packets that would normally have a negative impact on the bandwidth of the switch. Bad data packets thus do not consume space in a central queue nor bandwidth in a crossbar switch.

Abstract: Method, system and program product are provided for packet flow control for a switching node of a data transfer network. The method includes actively managing space allocations in a central queue of a switching node allotted to the ports of the switching node based on the amount of unused space currently available in the central queue and an amount of currently-vacant storage space in a storage device of a port. In a further aspect, the method includes separately tracking unallocated space and vacated allocated space, which had been used to buffer packets received by the ports but were vacated since a previous management update due to a packet being removed from the central queue. Each port is offered vacated space that is currently allocated to that port and a quantity of the currently unallocated space in the central queue to distribute to one or more virtual lanes of the port.

Abstract: The filtering operations normally performed at the output port side of an Infiniband (or similar protocol) routing switch are performed in parallel at the input side to prevent data packets from being placed on a queue from which they would ordinarily ultimately be discarded, thus removing “bad” packets that would normally have a negative impact on the bandwidth of the switch. Bad data packets thus do not consume space in a central queue nor bandwidth in a crossbar switch.

Abstract: Method, system and program product are provided for reducing size of memory required for a switching node's forwarding table by employing forwarding tables of different types to map received data packets addressed to downstream nodes and upstream nodes to appropriate output ports of the switching node. The method includes receiving a data packet at a data transfer node of a network and selecting a forwarding table from multiple types of forwarding tables accessible by the node based on an attribute associated with the received data packet, and mapping the data packet to an output port of the node utilizing the forwarding table selected from the multiple types of forwarding tables based on the attribute associated with the packet.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for processing data packets at a data-transfer network node. The method and system include determining a length of time that a packet has been buffered at the node by associating a timer with each data packet received and buffered in the node's central queue. The central queue subsequently reads the associated timer to determine a length of time that a data packet has been buffered prior to the data packet being transmitted by the node. If a packet has been buffered too long, then the queue discards the packet. Otherwise, the queue permits transmission of the packet. The amount of circuitry in the switching node's central queue is reduced by locating the packet timers in timer logic external to the queue.

Abstract: The filtering operations normally performed at the output port side of an Infiniband (or similar protocol) routing switch are performed in parallel at the input side to prevent data packets from being placed on a queue from which they would ordinarily ultimately be discarded, thus removing “bad” packets that would normally have a negative impact on the bandwidth of the switch. Bad data packets thus do not consume space in a central queue nor bandwidth in a crossbar switch.