| US 7,477,601 B1 | ||
| Methods and apparatus for managing a flow of packets using change and reply signals | ||
| John G. Waclawsky, Fredrick, Md. (US); and Hamesh Chawla, San Leandro, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 06, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/635,116. | ||
| Application 10/635116 is a continuation of application No. 09/340524, filed on Jun. 28, 1999, granted, now 6,628,610. | ||
| This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
| Int. Cl. H04L 12/26 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 370—232 [370/231; 370/236; 370/395.21] | 32 Claims |
| 1. In a data communications device, a method for managing a flow of packets, comprising:
transferring packets of a particular packet flow from input ports to output ports of the data communications device based
on an initial policy scheme controlling an initial manner in which the packets are transferred from the input ports to the
output ports of the data communications device;
planning a scheme change to change the initial policy scheme to a new policy scheme based on transfer conditions within the
data communications device existing while transferring the packets of the particular flow based on the initial policy scheme,
the new policy scheme controlling a new manner in which the packets are transferred from the input ports to the output ports
of the data communications device; and
providing a change signal to a source of the particular packet flow, the change signal indicating that the data communications
device has planned the scheme change,
wherein the data communications device is a first computerized node of a network, the source of the particular packet flow
is a second computerized node of the network coupled to the first computerized node by a packet transmission medium, and providing
the change signal comprises transmitting a change signal packet into the network destined for the second computerized nodeand further comprising:
accepting a reply signal from the source;
changing the initial policy scheme to the new policy scheme when contents within a reply field of the reply signal represent
a first value; and
maintaining the initial policy scheme when the contents within the reply field of the reply signal represent a second value
that is different than the first value.
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