Abstract:

Flow control mechanism is important for the IP router design. In this paper, we first contrast the pros and cons of rate-based and credit-based flow control patterns, and get the conclusion t hai the latter is more suitable for the IP router design. Then based on the NPSI specification, we propose a reference model for the flow control mechanism in IP routers. Finally, we introduce  the implementation of the flow control mechanism in our high-performance IPv6 routers.

Key words: flow control, credit-based, rate-based, IP router, NPSI