Abstract: Controlling a transmission rate of packet traffic includes receiving packets from a network processor. The packets are stored in a buffer associated with a processor. If an occupancy level of the buffer is greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the processor is congested. A message is transmitted to the network processor indicating the processor is congested.

Abstract: The invention comprises system and method for offloading a processor tasked with calendar processing of channel status information. The method comprises multiplexing channel status information received from a plurality of physical interfaces; grouping the channels based on bandwidth; comparing current and previous status information of a group of channels in a first memory; sending current channel status to the processor only if the status of any of the channels in the group has changed; and periodically synchronizing channel status information in the first memory to status information in the processor's memory. The system comprises: multiplexer to combine channel status information received from the interfaces and means for grouping, based on bandwidth, the channels; hardware assist engine to send current channel status to the processor only if channel status has changed; and device to synchronize channel status information in the hardware assist engine to status information in the processor's memory.

Abstract: Controlling a transmission rate of packet traffic includes receiving packets from a network processor. The packets are stored in a buffer associated with a processor. If an occupancy level of the buffer is greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the processor is congested. A message is transmitted to the network processor indicating the processor is congested.