Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
69 words
In an ATM network system, a method of determining congestion in a shared memory switch, said method comprising the steps of: determining a switch global memory usage in said shared memory switch; determining a switch individual queue memory usage in said shared memory switch; and combining said switch global memory usage and said switch individual queue memory usage to generate a switch congestion state for said shared memory switch.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
69 words
In an ATM network system, a method of determining congestion in a shared memory switch, said method comprising the steps of: determining a switch global memory usage in said shared memory switch; determining a switch individual queue memory usage in said shared memory switch; and combining said switch global memory usage and said switch individual queue memory usage to generate a switch congestion state for said shared memory switch.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method as claimed in claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of: determining a line card global memory usage in a line card coupled to said shared memory switch; determining a line card individual queue memory usage in a line card coupled to said shared memory switch; and combining said line card global memory usage and said line card individual queue memory usage to generate a line card congestion state for said shared memory switch.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as claimed in claim 2, said method further comprising the steps of: combining said switch congestion state and said line card congestion state to generate a net congestion state for said shared memory switch.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said step of combining comprises selecting the worse congestion state between the switch congestion state and the line card congestion state.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method as claimed in claim 3, said method further comprising the steps of: determining a first explicit rate based upon said net congestion state and a second explicit rate received in a resource management cell.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method as claimed in claim 3, said method further comprising the steps of: determining an internal switch explicit rate based upon said net congestion state and a current cell rate received in a forward resource management cell; and modifying explicit rate received in a backward resource management cell based upon said net congestion state and said internal switch explicit rate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
166 words
A network switching apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a main switching fabric, said main switching fabric comprising a global shared memory, said global shared memory divided into a global cell buffer; said global cell buffer for storing at least one incoming cell, at least one address queue, said address queue comprising at least one address pointing to an incoming cell in said global cell buffer; a fabric congestion state determiner, said fabric congestion state determiner determining a switching fabric congestion state for said main switching fabric; and at least one output line card, said output line card coupled to said main switching fabric, said output line card comprising a physical interface to a communication line, a line card congestion state determiner, said line card congestion state determiner determining a line card congestion state for said output line card, and a resource management update circuit, said resource management update circuit determining a net congestion state based upon said switching fabric congestion state and said line card congestion state.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
166 words
A network switching apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a main switching fabric, said main switching fabric comprising a global shared memory, said global shared memory divided into a global cell buffer; said global cell buffer for storing at least one incoming cell, at least one address queue, said address queue comprising at least one address pointing to an incoming cell in said global cell buffer; a fabric congestion state determiner, said fabric congestion state determiner determining a switching fabric congestion state for said main switching fabric; and at least one output line card, said output line card coupled to said main switching fabric, said output line card comprising a physical interface to a communication line, a line card congestion state determiner, said line card congestion state determiner determining a line card congestion state for said output line card, and a resource management update circuit, said resource management update circuit determining a net congestion state based upon said switching fabric congestion state and said line card congestion state.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The network switching apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said resource management update circuit determines an internal switch explicit rate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
The network switching apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said resource management update circuit modifies an explicit rate on a backward resource management cell based upon said internal switch explicit rate and said net congestion state.