SELECTIVE UNDERFLOW PROTECTION IN A NETWORK SWITCH

摘要

Techniques are disclosed to transmit packets by a network switch and according to a link protocol while reducing incidence of intra-packet transmission gaps unsupported by the link protocol. Whether a packet satisfies an underflow risk condition is determined by evaluating, for each of one or more cycles since receipt of one or more flits of the packet, a respective count of flits of the packet received by the network switch in the respective cycle. Only upon determining that the packet satisfies the underflow risk condition is selective underflow protection performed for the packet, including buffering an increased count of flits of the packet, prior to commencing transmission of the packet.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method to transmit packets by a network switch and according to a link protocol while reducing incidence of intra-packet transmission gaps unsupported by the link protocol, the computer-implemented method comprising:
determining whether an incoming packet satisfies the underflow risk condition, by evaluating, for each of one or more cycles since receipt of one or more flow control digits (flits) of the second packet, a respective count of flits of the incoming packet received by the network switch in the respective cycle; and upon determining that the incoming packet satisfies the underflow risk condition, providing selective underflow protection for the incoming packet by buffering at least an increased count of flits of the incoming packet, prior to commencing transmission of the incoming packet and by operation of one or more computer processors, in order to prevent a transmission gap from occurring due to a buffer underrun when subsequently transmitting the incoming packet.