Method and system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system

Claim 1

A method for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the method comprising the steps of: receiving the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; storing each of the received packets at an addressable location in a first memory, the first memory having a plurality of addressable locations; storing in a second memory addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory in which a packet not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory being utilized in the step of storing the received packets; linking packets having the same VCI in a queue in the first memory determining whether a particular queue of linked packets complies with the predetermined traffic parameters to obtain validated queue of linked packets; retrieving the first validated packet in queue from the first memory; and transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 2

A method for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the method comprising the steps of: receiving the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; storing each of the received packets at an addressable location in a first memory, the first memory having a plurality of addressable locations; storing in a second memory addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory in which a packet not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory being utilized in the step of storing the received packets; linking packets having the same VCI in a queue in the first memory determining whether a particular queue of linked packets complies with the predetermined traffic parameters to obtain validated queue of linked packets; retrieving the first validated packet in queue from the first memory; and transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 5

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a pocket is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means; means for linking packets having the same VCI in a queue in the first memory means and wherein the credit manager means determines whether a particular queue of linked packets complies with the predetermined traffic parameters to obtain a validated queue of linked packets; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 6

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a pocket is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means; means for linking packets having the same VCI in a queue in the first memory means and wherein the credit manager means determines whether a particular queue of linked packets complies with the predetermined traffic parameters to obtain a validated queue of linked packets; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 9

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system, comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a packet is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means, wherein the credit manager means includes forth memory means for storing a value corresponding to mean arrival interval associated with each packet and wherein the mean arrival interval is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet, wherein the fourth memory means further stores a maximum allowed burst length associated with each packet and wherein the maximum allowed burst length is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet and wherein the credit manager means also includes an arbiter means and at least one credit unit means coupled to the arbiter means; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 10

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system, comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a packet is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means, wherein the credit manager means includes forth memory means for storing a value corresponding to mean arrival interval associated with each packet and wherein the mean arrival interval is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet, wherein the fourth memory means further stores a maximum allowed burst length associated with each packet and wherein the maximum allowed burst length is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet and wherein the credit manager means also includes an arbiter means and at least one credit unit means coupled to the arbiter means; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 13

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system, comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a packet is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means, wherein the credit manager means includes forth memory means for storing a value corresponding to mean arrival interval associated with each packet and wherein the mean arrival interval is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet, wherein the fourth memory means further stores a maximum allowed burst length associated with each packet and wherein the maximum allowed burst length is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet and wherein the credit manager means includes processor means coupled to the forth memory means and a sequencer means coupled to the processor means for storing a departure time for each of the stored packets, the processor means comparing the smallest departure time with a real-time value; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.

Claim 14

A system for controlling user traffic to a fast packet switching system, each of the packets originating at a source of packets and having a virtual channel identifier (VCI), the system, comprising: means for receiving the packets, each of the packets having associated therewith an arrival time; a first memory means coupled to the means for receiving for storing each of the received packets at an addressable location, the first memory means having a plurality of addressable locations; a second memory means coupled to the first memory means for storing addresses corresponding to the addressable locations in the first memory means in which a packet is not yet stored, the addresses stored in the second memory means being utilized to store the received packets; credit manager means coupled to the means for receiving and to the second memory means for determine whether a stored packet complies with predetermined traffic parameters including average arrival rate and mean burst rate based on its arrival time and its VCI to obtain a validated packet and for retrieving the validated packet from the first memory means, wherein the credit manager means includes forth memory means for storing a value corresponding to mean arrival interval associated with each packet and wherein the mean arrival interval is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet, wherein the fourth memory means further stores a maximum allowed burst length associated with each packet and wherein the maximum allowed burst length is utilized by the credit manager means in determining a validated packet and wherein the credit manager means includes processor means coupled to the forth memory means and a sequencer means coupled to the processor means for storing a departure time for each of the stored packets, the processor means comparing the smallest departure time with a real-time value; and means for transmitting the retrieved packet to the packet switching system.